There may be light at the end of the tunnel!  States are discussing how and when to reopen.  As leaders, our response to reopening will define our leadership.  We will either emerge as stronger, more effective leaders, or we won’t.  It is that black and white.  I encourage every leader to leverage this opportunity!

How should you prepare to reopen your business and/or your organization?

In a previous blog titled COPE-ADAPT-INNOVATE, I shared the emotional stages each of us and our organizations is experiencing related to coronavirus.  This remains relevant. I also wrote a blog titled, A Crisis Defines Your Leadership, and this remains relevant.  Today, I would like to leverage parts of each of these past writings to offer a path forward for leaders and their teams.  (The following is the approach I am using with my clients in order to understand the challenges, identify gaps, create opportunities, and strengthen the leadership team.)

General questions to set the tone of the discussion:

  • Have you thought through how to reopen your business?

  • Have you given consideration to your employees, your clients, your other stakeholders?

  • Are you developing a strategy to leverage and complement the new normal?

Now, engage your leadership team in a series of discussions to develop the parameters and criteria your organization will employ when reopening.   Topics for strategically approaching reopening your business:

  • Values – Which of your organizational values should be part of each decision you will make regarding re-opening your business?  Identify and discuss these and how each is applicable.   Any decisions should use the organization’s values as a reference point.  Why?  Because there will be decisions you and your leaders will need to make for which there is no precedent.  Tethering decisions to the values, allows one to make quick and appropriate decisions.

  • Additional Perspective(s) – In addition to the Values, what additional perspectives should be considered?  Examples might be “safety of staff” or “safety of customers” or “remote working versus in person”.   Again, any decisions about re-opening should use these as a reference point for the same reason as stated above.  (Additional benefit:  Asking your leadership team for input will give you insight into where each person is on the “Cope-Adapt-Innovate” spectrum and any concerns they have and aren’t comfortable expressing otherwise.)

  • Identify and discuss the challenges your business will experience trying to get back to normal.  Using this traditional strategic planning question will help leaders understand and prioritize the decisions which will need to be made. (Additional benefit:  Gives your leaders an opportunity to share their concerns from intellectual perspective when they may not share them from an emotional perspective.)

  • Discuss the opportunities and aspirations which may be now possible with a “new normal”.  This is a fun and energizing discussion.  What are the possibilities now?  THIS QUARANTINE HAS GIVEN EVERY LEADER THE PERMISSION HE/SHE NEEDS TO MAKE DISRUPTIVE CHANGE.  Don’t let this opportunity go to waste.   (I say this because 2 months ago, when things were good, few people would be as open to a major change as they are today.  People expect change!)

From these discussions you should be able to develop a strategic approach to re-opening your business and the action steps necessary to implement the approach.

Remember, your team members, customers and other stakeholders are watching you.  Go forth and lead!