March 2020 will be marked as a revolutionary month in history that changed everything. In a few weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic shook the world and impacted all sectors including governments, stock markets, healthcare systems, education, travel, hospitality, small-mid-large corporates, and the list goes on. Almost, everything is impacted. The routine life has been turned upside down and from what I can speculate, the world will not have the luxury of the old normal, the routine might look normal, however, things will be different and I am sure, most of you will agree with me on that.

Responding to the challenges of the present and unpredictable future will require the following:

200% Accountability will be required to work through the Pandemic

The situations might normalize within the coming weeks when people would want to get back to their previous routines, and their living habits, but it will all happen in a state of watchfulness. The situation will be more to mitigate the risk, instead of eliminating the risk. People might change their greeting gestures forever; they would seldom hug or handshakes with each other and prefer bowing or Namaste instead. It might seem irritating, but not overwhelming as the safety of the world in the future lies in how quickly we change and adapt to new habits.

Adjusting to this situation will require acceptance from both, the employees, and the customers. Company owners would need to take suitable measures and make sure that their internal and external stakeholders, employees, and staff feels secure in their new way of doing business.

The sooner they strategize and switch to a new way of working, the better it would be. Organizations turning to the new normal will need 200% accountability with strict social protocols to abide by.

Leading business giants would be more likely to create customized social protocols basis their business formats. They might space up their workspaces to ensure social distancing, Airlines might issue face masks and change the seating setup, and corporates may switch to more virtual meetings and remote working as a default system, instead of taking it as a situational change. Succeeding through these changes will require 200% accountability. This means, it is not only employees who will be 100% accountable but the organization too will be fully accountable in enforcing accountability irrespective of the level or position of any person.

As per the trend, just asking people to follow the required protocol might not be enough. We often see people breaking the rules, irrespective of the known dangers; seeing the current situation of lockdown, people still go out of their homes and the police have to beat them up to ensure strict adherence to the rules. This means, just having protocols is meaningless, these need to be part of the code of conduct.

This is where the 200% accountability lies in actualizing the protocols and confronting lapses irrespective of the person or authority. Every employee will be liable to hold their peers accountable the moment they see anyone disobeying the protocol given.

“The speed with which norms change is a function of the speed with which it becomes normal to confront violations of the new norm” – Joseph Grenny

Till the time organizations will not be “okay” to confront people irrespective of position or authority, the protocol will just remain a disregarded statement.

Make your people and customers safe by opening up about the things never discussed

I am sure a lot of you will agree with me that people do not feel safe just by listening to safeguarding techniques or new protocols, they need to feel connected to, and experience safety, by feeling safe.

The most effective way of doing so is to speak to them and give them open space to speak up about the things that are never discussed. Let them feel connected, cared for, and safe. Have more face-to-face or virtual meetings where you interact directly with each employee, giving them a sense of security and safety through your talks. This will foster a trust-based culture in your organization, especially at a time of rising uncertainty and complexity.

On the other hand, your customers must already be a thing of the risks. So, in the first place, convey to them what you are doing to control the spread and keep your people safe. The best way is to tell them through face-to-face interactions and not by just emailing or sending group messages. You can plan an open forum or a virtual meeting where you can tell them openly about the current measures being taken. Be honest, even if it is not up to the mark or if you are still working on the processes; after all your trust-building starts from here and it cannot be founded without being transparent.

We are humans, and we feel rest assured upon hearing things face to face, it is a basic need, and holding a face-to-face conversation will suffice this psychological need, resulting in strengthened relationships.

Secondly, give them various options to operate from home or in person. For example, if your business requires a lot of people interaction, then you can send your sales or field representatives with a bottle of sanitizers, gloves, and proper sanitization. This will help create safety in the minds of people who are extremely vigilant about hygiene and safety and let the interaction conclude smoothly and without any fear. Alternatively, you can also hold virtual meetings and seek confirmation in advance from the clients, so they do not feel awkward or avoid face-to-face interactions.

Giving your customers a sense of safety in the first place will increase the chances of eliminating all the worries, giving you an open space to interact and creating a comfort zone for both.

Foster behavior change that makes your organization pandemic proof

The end of COVID-19 will certainly not be the end of viruses. We might have to witness COVID 20, 21, or any other virus in the future. Preparing your people for the current pandemic and helping them embrace behavior change will help both, organizations, and their people to be future-ready.

Let us consider this situation as an opportunity in disguise and give our people a platform to develop a new process that is both cost-effective and sustainable.

If we do not take measures to control the risk now and do not make it our habit, the only choice left with businesses and people will be to bear the cost (in whichever way it demands).

Identify Opportunities in disguise

For the first time in the history of mankind, this kind of pandemic has affected the world and each one of us is together in this. This is the time for all of us to identify the opportunities to stay bonded, beyond geographical boundaries, together like a family.

New ways of functioning, helping, caring, and engaging with people are getting defined. I realize my family getting bonded better than it was two months ago, I feel getting involved more with my kids and knowing more about their concerns and needs. We engage better with each other; we tend to observe each other better and we ensure to make everyone participates through virtual meetings or facetime, and makes the best use of this lockdown, an opportunity given to us in disguise. This opportunity is offered to the whole world, we just need to accept this by choice not by force, and do what makes us feel more loved, and valued, and develops us as an improved version of ourselves.

A wiser man makes his own decision and takes advantage of what comes to him. This is the time to be more resourceful and selfless. Let us pave the way for a better future and evolve through this unprecedented scenario as better and improved human beings.

Stay at Home, and Stay Safe!

Best,

Yogesh Sood

This blog is an adaptation from a blog written by our Partner Mr. Joseph Grenny on 8th April- https://cruciallearning.com/blog/how-to-lead-a-company-through-the-covid-19-crisis/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWW1RM09EaGhaRFZpWVdaaiIsInQiOiJUaWJUaGdjNzBnalNwbVAzNEZTbUxGM1MxbVZ1XC9wNkZIcHRKMnZ6SlRnenNiVTc0cXBYRmRLSU9GYytuQjBcL0RxVkpyQ0dNb0JVR3Nma05nakZBR2VXRkZCSEIrK0lYRDhiNmw4UmNXNmRBbU5GVkNzenhRT1B6VlVwNlpVWEljIn0%3D

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