None of us, not one single one, ZERO, have been here before. Ever. We’re making it up as we go, and that’s fine. Admit it and you’ll feel a whole heap better.
There is too much information, too many moving parts, too little certainty, and too much ambiguity. To make predictions with even mild conviction is an indicator of insanity or stupidity.
But here are a few certainties;
- The lockdown will end.
- You will go back to work.
- You will need to pick up the pieces.
- It will not be the same as when you left – not for you, not for your staff, not for your suppliers, customers, or your competitors.
Under these circumstances, whatever they might be, you will need to lead. You will need to lead in the biggest modern-day crisis the global world and your organisation has faced.
Your first priorities must be to revisit your strategic plan and conduct a complete organisational review ASAP.
We strongly advise that the day the lockdown ends, you invite your executive to a full organisational review to determine whether your business is fit for purpose. The business environment has changed significantly, not only do you need to reset your compass but you’ve got to find where the new true north is. Not only has someone changed the playing field, they’ve moved us to a new stadium. And remember, what got you “here” may not get you “there”. In any event, now’s the time to find out where “there” is.
For many companies the virus has simply exposed fault-lines as the fissures, chasms, canyons that they are. Take this opportunity to have a full service rather than kick the tyres. A full review must look at both the internal and external landscapes with the intent of creating a future fit organisation.
- Can staff work remotely? If so who? How much office space does this free up? Do you still need all that floorspace and four floors of parking?
- Do you need to strengthen your IT systems to accommodate increased numbers of virtual meetings? I was advised today that senior buyers at a major retailer will no longer be seeing sales people at their offices – ever, the new normal is an email followed by a Zoom call. Is your IT posed to cope?
- How have your customers changed? Do you still have the same target market? How many of your customers have shifted to online buying? How many of them have stopped eating out? What is the impact of lower incomes on your target markets purchasing power? How does this effect you?
- Do your numbers have integrity and are they real time? Do you have a dashboard for executives that measures liquidity accurately and swiftly? Do your numbers have integrity?
- What opportunities exist for your company? Where are you vulnerable? And most importantly can you answer this one really important question, “what will success look like for us?”. What must we do to achieve this? Who will be doing it? How will we measure it?
The support services, the administrative services can all be outsourced. Now’s the time to look at your organogram. Review each each job, do a job analysis, see who can be outsourced. What options are there? Should you pay a fulltime employee as a fixed cost? Or pay a team with a proven track record – as and when you need them?
Saige has performed a number of successful organisational reviews restructuring them to ensure they fit for purpose, click on the link for testimonials https://saige.co.za/. Saige has also completed a number of successful business turnarounds which have included repositioning, developing strategy, restructuring, and repurposing – using the effective, proven Saige Activation Model, for more information click on the link https://saige.co.za/how-we-do-it/
Crucially, Saige has positioned itself to operate in the Gig Economy offering tailormade solutions for businesses. This allows organisations to focus on their core business. If you’re a school – educate. If you’re a manufacturer – manufacture. If you’re in financial services – look after your client’s finance.
One of the most powerful things a leader can say is, “I don’t know”.
Right now many of us are feeling a touch vulnerable and bewildered – if you’re feeling like this, you really need to partner with a team whose track-record of excellence and success speaks for itself – contact info@saige.co.za
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