DATE POSTED | 14 Oct 2020

Leading Edge News from the CEO’s Office.
Time to Act

Act. Fast. Now. This is the formula of the post-Covid landscape. The worldwide 2020 pandemic happened with fierce speed that organisations had no choice other than to match. Fast decision-making, fast communication, and fast adaption have been imperative to adjust to a world that has evolved leaps and bounds in just months.

Organisational change-makers McKinsey investigated the need for speed in a post-Covid world which revealed fast organisations significantly outperforming slower ones across the board from innovation to growth, organisational health, employee promotions, financial performance, and operational resiliency. Speed in an organisation means taking action fast in order to adapt. Based on McKinsey’s research we have identified four key elements that affect swift action-taking in an organisation, and are essential to survive in our new world.

1. Speed

According to McKinsey, a fast organisation is one that that is able to “align around a clear vision, strategy, and culture to execute with excellence and renew the organisation’s focus by responding to market trends.” The keyword here is “responding.” A fast organisation is one that responds quickly to external forces. A fast response time requires leaders who are able to make decisions in the moment by understanding how best to align with the company’s vision. A fast organisation understands that it must remain flexible in order to work with market trends and crisis; it is wiser than to waste time fighting these forces, and knows it must evolve by adapting immediately.

2. Clarity

Everything required to thrive at the pace of the new landscape comes down to decision-making. Fast decision-making. This requires clarity. Being clear on which path to take is essential. Mckinsey’s research found that organisations were slowed down not in execution, but choosing what to execute. “We rarely face issues of execution, but rather issues of getting signoff on what to execute.” When there is clarity in an organisation and its leaders, deciding how to execute becomes much faster. Prioritising clarity will hold all in good stead.

3. Communication

Mckinsey states that “When asked about the primary opportunities to achieve greater speed, respondents most frequently cite more efficient decision-making, clearer communication, and the use of technology to better engage with customers and employees.” Clear, transparent communication across an organisation means faster response time and decision-making. It’s imperative to not have employees in silos, to encourage as much openness in communication as possible, so that useful information is reaching people more efficiently and that there is seamlessness in understanding what needs to be done by whom, when, and why.

4. Leadership

A post-Covid world requires everybody to be a leader. Yes, we need people in leadership positions to adapt their leadership style to one that lends itself to remote working, fast decision-making, and maximum clarity, but it also requires that we all truly learn how to lead ourselves. As hierarchical leadership is falling away, employees need to be empowered with leadership skills so that they can become better leaders of their own work. The pandemic of 2020 has required that we all level-up in every area of our lives, which means increased individual responsibility.

In order to accommodate the up-level required for organisations, KLM Empowered has crafted a signature virtual learning methodology that blends self-study, social learning, mentor-supported application, and online assessment. KLM Empowered is excited to be a provider of both classroom-based and SETA-approved online immersive learning solutions. We have also developed two future-fit MasterClasses on Adaptability Intelligence (AQ) and the WE-RISE© Experience. Both power-packed MasterClasses have been designed to equip your leaders and teams with a set of skills to future-proof themselves and your business whilst navigating unprecedented change. Our additional MasterClasses that are designed for the future now include:

  • The Digital Leader
  • The Agile Leader
  • Sculpting the Future
  • Enabling Change
  • Communicating with Impact
  • I am Human

Act fast, enroll now, and learn how to lead your future with precision.

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