Without in any way making light of the effects of the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19, I thought I would share some leadership insight into how you might prepare for the worst, whilst working towards the best, wherever in the world you happen to be.

It's at times like these that Futures, Systems and Design Thinking really come into their own. If you haven't already, make time to sit down with your team and map out the potential effects the novel coronavirus may have on you, your people, your business and each and every one of your stakeholders in your ecosystem and beyond.

Unless you are trained in Strategic Foresight, you may want to use a simplified model of looking at the future through three lenses; utopian, dystopian and something middle of the road. Map out where you want to be in twelve months time and then play the movie forwards (and backwards) through each of these three lenses.

Don't only rely on what you and your team can foresee. Get creative and throw in all of the possible *unintended consequences that a global disease like this might have (whether you like them or not!) And stay alert for rapidly emerging trends/patterns across the full spectrum of social, technological, economic, environmental and political (STEEP) drivers.

The Big Q: What can you do/put in place today to better navigate the future, whatever the outcome of COVID-19?

A few weeks ago, I was working with a leadership team exploring the immediate disruptors to business as usual and the first things on our list were supply chain, travel, the luxury industry/retail and an exponential shift towards digital. *As the weeks have gone by and the list rapidly expands, we have also seen some not-so-great fear-driven consequences like racism, discrimination and xenophobia. It's at times like these that being a conscious, empathetic leader and nurturing our values-based corporate cultures will stand us all in good stead, whatever the outcome.

I wish you well.

P.S. Please drop me a line and let me know if and/or how the novel coronavirus is having an effect on your business ecosystem? I would love to get your insight...


Tags

COVID-19, Futures and Foresight, Futures Thinking, Novel Coronavirus, STEEP


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