Have you got head in sand?
Have you got head in sand?
No seriously, have you?
Whether you like it or not, the world has changed. Priorities have changed, life has changed, the way we work has changed and we are never going back to ‘normal’. There is no going back, we need to create the new.
Have you got head in sand?
No seriously, have you?
Whether you like it or not, the world has changed. Priorities have changed, life has changed, the way we work has changed and we are never going back to ‘normal’. There is no going back, we need to create the new.
In 2020 when COVID landed, I was as shocked as anyone that I would see something in this in my lifetime (makes me sound old, I know). But it came into our lives (and hasn’t left) and has changed the way we used to know the world.
COVID has impacted everyone differently and there is always a bittersweet story to tell. I can’t complain; I haven’t had anyone I know die of COVID, and I might be a minority.
COVID has created perspective:
I wrote an article last year around perspective. Check article here. I note that perspective normally comes from a bad situation. So how has COVID created perspective, let’s see:
The concept of working in office 5 days a week, has changed
The concept or reality of flexible working, has changed..
The normalisation of having children in zoom/teams. calls or home while you are working has changed.
People are rethinking their careers/jobs and what is important (i.e. the great resignation, war on talent)
Employees are demanding more, and with the war on talent they are getting what they are asking for and more.
Employers that have a clear EVP are well ahead of the companies that haven’t invested in the people experience side of things. It’s not a piece of paper or words – it’s reality.
Amount of people moving out of the city; to the country or more regional. This includes people moving out of Melbourne and Sydney to Queensland etc.
People got a taste of different life, slower life, easy lifestyle and more time spent with their families.
People are looking for a change in lifestyle
Perspective and change creates opportunity. So many new jobs, roles, life changes ….how have you created your new. If you don’t take this opportunity to create your ‘new’ you, you will have missed an opportunity.
What is your reflection from COVID? How has it changed your life, work or other?
Employers who are pretending the world hasn’t changed, are in for a significant amount of pain! Employers need to ensure they pivot to ensure they can attract and retain great talent in this very tight market.
Proactive approach to culture and employee engagement including flexibility is becoming really critical.
Article by Jo Hands, Whiteark Founder
Have you got your head in the sand? If yes, this might be the time to sit up and work out what you want/need to do different for personal and work!
At Whiteark, we have been helping our clients with new ways of working, employee engagement activities including role clarities etc. We have watched our clients embrace the new normal and helped them through the transition.
If we can help you, reach out for a no obligation chat to Jo Hands on 0459826221, or jo.hands@whiteark.com.au
Read more articles written by Jo Hands
The Whiteark Guide to Strategy & Execution
THE GUIDE | The key building blocks to guide the process of strategy to execution. Answering strategic questions will form the basis of the key components to the Company Strategy building block. Constantly monitoring the industry, market and economic trends is critical for setting and achieving your strategic objectives.
The key building blocks to guide the process of strategy to execution.
Answering strategic questions will form the basis of the key components to the Company Strategy building block.
•What is your current situation?
•Where do you want to go from here?
•What do you want to accomplish?
•How do you get from where you are today to where you want to be in the future? What are the steps do you need to take?
•What obstacles will you have to overcome? What problems will you have to solve?
•What skills and capability do you require to achieve your strategic objectives?
•What problem does your company seek to solve?
•Why do you believe this problem needs to be addressed?
•Does this problem matter to others?
•What are your offerings to solve this problem?
•What is the nature of your products and services?
•What specific customer/consumer needs are you addressing?
•Who are your ideal/target customers?
•What is your unique selling proposition?
•Are there other comparable offerings in market?
•What differentiates you from your competitors?
In today’s unpredictable environment strategic planning needs to be adaptive.
Covid-19 has been the catalyst for companies to reset their business strategy. In a time of such uncertainty, executive leaders need to be increasingly reliant on adaptive strategies so that they can set long-term goals but still flex with evolving conditions.
Contents of the Guide.
Key building blocks for strategy to execution
Considerations for each building block
Adaptive strategy
Building block one - market and industry trends
Building block two - companies strategy
Building block three - build the plan
Building block four -manage performance
Looking for help with your strategy? Reach out.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations with a focus on people just as much as financial outcomes. We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. So, if you’re looking to transform, reimagine or upgrade your strategy, then give us a call on 1300 240 047 for an no-obligation conversation.
Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
The Problem Is …. How to Solve It?
Mark Easdown writes about problem solving… Good problem solving needs: cognitive diversity, valuing dissent to mitigate consensus “fails” & “group think”, a clear approach in stressful situations, switch thinking or adding some randomness to process, a healthy power relationship (no hubris or silencing of opposition, a need for participative management & subordinate assertiveness training), multiple approaches to problem solving …
Article written by Mark Easdown
Individuals, Teams & Enterprise, Mental Models, Ways of Working
““A problem well put is half solved.””
““I think that there is only one way to science – or to philosophy, for that matter: to meet a problem, to see its beauty and fall in love with it; to get married to it and to live happily, till death do ye part – unless you should meet another and even more fascinating problem or unless, indeed, you should obtain a solution. But even if you do obtain a solution, you may discover, to your delight, the existence of a whole family of enchanting, though perhaps difficult, problem children …””
““By operating without a leader the scout bees of a swarm neatly avoid one of the greatest threats to good decision making by groups: a domineering leader. Such an individual reduces a group’s collective power to uncover a diverse set of possible solutions to a problem, to critically appraise these possibilities, and to winnow out all but the best one.””
““Probably he played it the way he did because it was not a good piano. Because he could not fall in love with it he found another way to get the most out of it.” ”
Did you know ?
3M has a “flexible attention” policy (take a walk, nap, play a game) as they know creative ideas and problem solutions can sneak up on us as we pay attention to something else. Ideas flow between silos with engineers rotated between departments each few years.
Problem solving is a process followed to find solutions to difficult or complex issues.
What might that look like ?
Variances & deviations from desired outcomes – this may be pleasant (an opportunity) or unpleasant (Apollo 13)
For a problem to be solved suggests some precision in description, identification, root cause
Maybe we have a criterion that our best explanation or lived experience just fails to meet
An exploration of problem solving uncovers useful practices, shines a light on power structures and reveals a wider array of human perceptions, traits & group dynamics;
Author Charlan Nemeth in “No! , The power of disagreement in a world that wants to get along” highlights the case of United Airlines Flight 173, in the days before Christmas in 1978 flying from NY to Portland Oregon, USA. As the plane approached Portland it lowered the landing gear and the cockpit heard a large thump with the plane vibrating and rotating. The pilot questioned the landing gear, aborted landing and put the plane into a holding pattern. For 45 minutes, pilot and crew investigated the flight panel & landing gear problem yet overlooked the fact the plane proceeded to run out of fuel, falling out of sky, killing 10 people of the 196 on board, just six miles from airport. How can this problem solving go so tragically wrong?
Good problem solving needs: cognitive diversity, valuing dissent to mitigate consensus “fails” & “group think”, a clear approach in stressful situations, switch thinking or adding some randomness to process, a healthy power relationship (no hubris or silencing of opposition, a need for participative management & subordinate assertiveness training), multiple approaches to problem solving (broad information search, multiple alternatives considered), a human tendency to not see a solution if it is at odds with majority judgement, the very action of voicing dissent with conviction will alter the perception & awareness of others.
Maybe the way things “are” differ from our best thinking or theory on the way things “should be” .
Let’s take a look at Problem Solving & Mental Models across a few domains; In Adversity, In Manufacturing, In Investment Markets and In Nature
Producing your finest problem solving & improvisation, driven on by adversity
“”Messy : How to be creative and resilient in a tidy-minded world””
In January 1975, 17 year old Vera Brandes stood on the stage of the Cologne Opera House, awaiting a full house, as the youngest concert promoter in Germany. Vera had convinced American Jazz Pianist, Keith Jarrett to perform a solo recital, had arranged the grand concert hall, invited 1,400 people and arranged for delivery of a very specific & artist requested Bosendorfer 290 Imperial concert grand piano.
The problem for Vera’s project was that the opera house staff had wheeled out the wrong piano and gone home. They had wheeled out a small piano which would not produce enough sound to reach the furthest balconies, the piano was out of tune, the black notes in the middle of the keyboard didn’t work, the piano pedals were stuck – it was unplayable. In the scarce time before the concert, the local piano tuner concluded that given the heavy rain outside, a substitute piano would not survive the transitional trip from nearby storage facility.
Technicians spent several hours trying to make the piano sound halfway decent, the high and low notes jangled, the piano pedals malfunctioned and even the performer was suffering from several days of back pain and wearing extra spinal support. Understandably Keith Jarrett refused to play, but Vera Brandes cajoled, pacified & pleaded and at 11-30pm the concert finally began.
So with Vera Brandes project flashing bright red, what problem solving skills did Keith Jarrett deploy to overcome sub-optimal & malfunctioning tools ?
As the author says “ The minute he played the first note, everybody knew this was magic”, “It was beautiful and strange”, “ The Koln concert album has sold 3.5 million copies, no other solo jazz album nor piano solo has matched it”, “Jarrett really had to play the piano very hard to get enough volume to the balconies”, “ ….”handed a mess, Keith Jarrett embraced it, and soared”.
Toyota Business Practices (TBP) – A problem solving model
Toyota has a rich and deep history of instruction, values, actions shared, practiced, experienced and refined by many staff across many cultures around the world. Its Best Practices are constantly evolving. Toyota Business Practices are an example of tangible approaches to daily work, the essence of TBP is a problem solving model. Whilst a mastery is achieved across time and through daily work and with a mindset of drive and dedication, a basic summary includes the following elements;
Toyota defines “a problem” as a gap between the current state (as is) and future/ideal state (to be). The concept of problem is not viewed as a negative, as to find problems and to take countermeasures to eliminate them leads to continuous improvement.
““No one has more trouble than the person who claims to have no trouble””
A summary of the basic steps of Toyota Problem Solving, 2006 includes;
1. Clarify the Problem: requires understanding and pre-emptive thinking around: Ultimate Goal (what is the contribution, the purpose, how is it realised and for whom?), Current Situation ( talk to people involved, observe, concrete terms) & Ideal Situation ( a clear standard result to be achieved after problem is solved, it is a concrete & achievable and contributes to the ultimate goal)
2. Break down the Problem: requires qualitative and quantitative analysis, prioritise and break down bigger problem into smaller and more concrete ones to observe and find the point of occurrence
3. Set a Target: A target is measurable & states by when & is challenging in nature
4. Analyse the Root Cause: look at the point of occurrence & cascade thinking through asking why & seek peer review. If the countermeasures are applied to something other than root cause – this leads to wasted effort and resources
5. Develop countermeasures: develop many versions, select highest value-add & compliance, build consensus , make clear action plans
6. See countermeasures through: implement with concerted efforts, speed & persistence, share information, inform, report and consult, trial and error to expected results
7. Monitor results & process: ensure targets achieved, understand reasons for success or failure and accumulate continuous improvement knowledge
8. Standardise Successful Process: establish new standard and start next round of continuous problem solving / PDCA
““I have found it helpful to think of my life as if it were a game in which each problem I face is a puzzle I need to solve. By solving the puzzle, I get a gem in the form of a principle that helps me avoid the same sort of problem in the future. Collecting these gems continually improves my decision making, so I am able to ascend to higher and higher levels of play in which the game gets harder and the stakes become ever greater.” ”
Ray Dalio – Principles & Problem Solving in Investment Management
In 1975, Ray Dalio founded Bridgewater Associates which went on to become the world’s largest hedge fund by 2005. He is known as a successful investor, innovator and aimed to structure global portfolios with uncorrelated investment returns, with allocations based on risk analysis rather than by asset classes. In 2011, Ray & Barbara Dalio established a philanthropic foundation and pledged to donate more than half their fortune in their lifetimes. In 2011, he self-published on-line his philosophy of investment which evolved to be an acclaimed 2017 book “Principles” on corporate management and investment. An overview of the framework Ray Dalio approaches problem solving includes;
1. Have Clear Goals: You cannot have everything – prioritise, don’t conflate your goals with just desires and decide what you really want, setbacks are important to making progress – in bad times you may need to modify goals to preserve what you have.
2. Identify & don’t tolerate problems: a useful mind hack if that painful problems are usually a good signpost you have a problem worth diagnosing and improving, don’t avoid problems as they are rooted in harsh and unpleasant realities, be precise and specific with your problem description, pull apart causes and the real problem, fix problems that yield biggest returns and take care small problems are not symptoms of larger ones, failing to address a problem has the same consequences as failing to identify it.
3. Diagnose problems to get at their root causes: don’t jump immediately into solution mode, identify “what” before commencing “what to do about it”, you must identify the root cause – not proximate ones, sometimes you will find the root cause is people or system or process, it can be a painful journey to resolution
4. Design a Plan: visual what you need to do to achieve goals, what needs to change to produce better outcomes, there are possibly many pathways – you just need to find one that works, create a narrative and time lines, identify tasks that connect to the narrative to achieve goals.
5. Push through to completion : you will need self-discipline, good work habits (well organised, to-do lists, priorities) are vastly underrated, establish clear metrics, have another monitor your results, as you discover new problems – repeat
Dalio’s problem solving mental models also covers: self-awareness (knowing your weakness & staring into them is a first step to success), seek to understand what your missing, be humble & radically open-minded (address ego and blind spot barriers), beware of harmful emotions, first learn then decide, simplify, use principles, determine who you should be listening to and what is true, be very specific about problems – don’t start with generalisations, convert your principles into algorithms and have these make decisions alongside you.
“The Waggle Dance” – Nest site selection & group decision making
In the 1950s, Martin Lindauer published a study on house hunting by honey bees and observed that bee scouts perform “waggle dances” on the surface of a swarm to advertise potential new nest sites. Advancing this research Cornell biologist Thomas Seeley noted the process was “complicated enough to rival the dealings of any department committee”, as potentially 10,000+ bees will relocate and need an efficient process to narrow alternatives and mitigate risks of bad decisions. When a hive gets too crowded, its queen and half the hive will swarm to a nearby tree and wait for several hundred scouts to go house hunting. Seeley notes “the bee’s method, which is a product of disagreement and contest rather than consensus and compromise, consistently yields excellent collective decisions”
Let’s explore the bee’s problem to solve;
The bee colony survival is as stake, so an accurate decision is required. New home must be suitable for rearing brood and storing honey and offer protections from: predators, thieves and bad weather.
A speedy decision is required, as the more hours the entire hive is exposed to elements it loses energy and reserves
A unified choice is required. Communications and contestability are crucial, a split decision could be fatal
What can bees teach us about problem solving & decision making?
Whilst the problem to solve is of a clear and stable nature, information may be incomplete or inaccurate
Information in a complex environment may be constantly evolving and changing
Bees use hundreds of independent, widely distributed scouts who return with heterogeneous information (differing constituents, dissimilar components, non-uniform in composition) which may be better or worse and is shared with other scouts by way of a waggle dance, no scout is stifled & the swarm leverages its collective intelligence.
So, how do they find consensus as any individual scout has only direct experience with select potential sites, yet many are examined and considered?
It is in the friendly competition between scouts and the various coalitions all vying for favoured sites, the exercise is not solved with “group-think”, rather a scout may leave the swarm cluster and go to examine potential site to judge its merit. There is no need for an individual scout to have a macro global view of all alternatives, nor a need to tally and compare votes – it is the smarts of the swarm working as individuals or collectives making speedy, accurate and unified assessments.
To recap
As we have seen across multiple domains and across several mental models, problems are not necessarily a bad thing – sometimes they are a pathway to travel to deliver quality strategic outcomes, sometimes they are a link in a chain of continuous improvement (kaizen), if they are material they must be addressed to mitigate severe consequences (Flight 173, Investment Returns and bee hive nest selection), a structure and process is very useful, to solve problems will often reveal some uncomfortable truths about the nature of the individuals, the group, power structures, communications and these must also be confronted and resolved.
Yet, as Keith Jarrett demonstrated bringing passion, intelligence, skill, pragmatism and persistence to problem solving, can yield your teams greatest moment. White Ark is here to help you.
When Richard Feynman faces a problem, he's unusually good at going back to being like a child, ignoring what everyone else thinks... He was so unstuck --- if something didn't work, he'd look at it another way." --- Marvin Minsky, MIT
LOOKING TO CURATE YOUR BUSINESS STRATEGY? REACH OUT.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations with a focus on people just as much as financial outcomes.
We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
Article written by Mark Easdown
Transforming your Sales and Service Model
Are you ready to take on a bold sales and service model transformation? Now is the time to reinvent your model and integrate the value your business provides into the “new” societal landscape post the global disruption of Covid-19. In today’s environment, your successful sales and service transformation will be enabled by strong leadership, facts driven from data and analytical insights, and new approaches to technology.
Are you ready to take on a bold sales and service model transformation? Now is the time to reinvent your model and integrate the value your business provides into the “new” societal landscape post the global disruption of Covid-19. In today’s environment, your successful sales and service transformation will be enabled by strong leadership, facts driven from data and analytical insights, and new approaches to technology.
It is important that you remain flexible and resilient while looking to the future - redefine your operations so that you can emerge stronger than your competitors. You must pivot your sales and service models in response to the new societal landscape - purchasing power is shifting fast, the demand for digital channels is rising. To retain customers, protect revenues and realign go-to-market investments you must pivot your sales and service model to meet the constantly changing expectations of your customers.
Hold tight and embrace the uncertainty – be courageous and apply a different approach to how you would usually gain market share all while monitoring the shift in consumer demands to ensure you are ahead of the competition.
Below are the key considerations for redesigning your sales and service model:
Rediscover your customer - understand your customers so that you can meet their evolving wants and needs so that you can remain relevant
Redefine the sales and service journey – segment your customers and focus your efforts on the strongest and most profitable opportunities
Enhance your product/service offering to meet customer expectations - reinvent through new narratives, approaches and terms, and diversify dynamic offers
Enable your team with the tools and skills to succeed in today’s digital age – ensure you provide your team with the key enablers that they need to support them in being successful including training and coaching, sales tools, technology
Reward your sales and service resources for the right behaviour/outcomes – align on priorities, determine the metrics to monitor, measure performance and reward success to keep your workforce motivated
If you need help with transforming your sales and service model to meet the needs of customers in today’s environment, please reach out to Whiteark for a no obligation consultation and we can help you navigate your future to success.
Linking transformation to strategy
In today’s business environment, transformation can take many forms but no matter the type it revolves around the need to generate new value - unlock new opportunities, drive new growth, deliver new efficiencies. It is critical that the transformation project aligns to the company’s strategy – strategy is fundamental in guiding/aligning decisions and actions to ensure they support the achievement of the company’s strategic goals.
In today’s business environment, transformation can take many forms but no matter the type it revolves around the need to generate new value - unlock new opportunities, drive new growth, deliver new efficiencies.
It is critical that the transformation project aligns to the company’s strategy – strategy is fundamental in guiding/aligning decisions and actions to ensure they support the achievement of the company’s strategic goals. A sound strategy helps shape an executable transformation objective.
The value that your transformation project will create/deliver must be aligned to your company strategy and it will help with articulating desired transformation outcomes, from a financial perspective or from an operational perspective.
Once you have aligned your transformation ambition you can build out your transformation program.
THE STEPS
Clearly defined company strategy
Determine your company strategic priorities
Define your transformation ambition – ensure it aligns to your company strategy/strategic priorities
Get leaders involved
Build your transformation plan
Be clear on what success is
Gather resources and expertise
Choose the right enablers
Focus on culture and change management
Measure success
For more support on transformation please explore our range of thought leadership articles…
8 Key lessons we have learnt from launching our own podcast
Jo Hands unpacks the lessons learnt from starting the Whiteark Podcast - The Chiefs. We have interviewed a range of leaders; young, older, CEO, Executive, owning and running their own business. Each leaders provided so many great tips and lessons around their leadership journey. It’s very inspiring.
We launched Whiteark - The Chiefs Podcast in October 2020. We have loved every minute of it.
What makes leaders tick? The Chiefs gives you insight into what makes our great leaders so great. With organisation’s top chiefs in the hot seat each week, we chat about the highs – and lows – and lessons along the way; tackling the biggest issues people are facing today. We know that leading can be a lonely role and we believe that learning from other great people is one of the best resources we have. So join us on our journey, and enjoy the stories behind some of the greats…
At the end of May here are the key statistics for our podcast:
Number of Episodes: 32
Key Topics covered (maybe some groupings) – People and Leadership, Impacts of Covid, Post Covid Recovery, Data, Transformation, Innovation, Sales and Service.
We have interviewed a range of leaders; young, older, CEO, Executive, owning and running their own business. Each leaders provided so many great tips and lessons around their leadership journey. It’s very inspiring. In 30 mins it’s amazing what you can learn about someone.
We feel privileged to have some amazing leaders that have shared their stories with us and our leaders and we are also privileged to have so many loyal followers.
When I reflect at the end of the week; on my highlight it’s likely that that the podcast will be my highlight – I’ve met someone new, I’ve learnt something new and it’s given me some inspiration / perspective. I feel very honoured and privileged to be able to take their precious time to share their journey and wisdom with our Whiteark family.
There are 8 key lessons we have learnt from interviewing 35+ leaders on The Chiefs Podcast:
1. Everyone has a story – regardless of age/role etc everyone has a story to tell. Tell your story so your business understands how you got here and what this role means to you. People want to know your story.
2. People learn most from their mistakes – failure is ok -it’s how you respond that is important. Everyone makes mistakes, yep it’s true but it’s how you respond that separates people. Learn from your mistakes and move forward.
3. Your job is to make hard decisions. It’s not all about consensus, you need to make the right decision for the organisation. Listen, understand and make a decision – your people will respect you for it.
4. Sometimes your job is lonely so finding like-minded professionals for connection is important. For me business chicks business club has been a God send but find your mentor, your support network.
5. Trusting your employees and giving them he environment to flourish is critical. Trust is easy to say but actions speak louder than words.
6. Being able to navigate ambiguity is critical – make decisions, pivot and dealing with ambiguity and moving forward will be critical.
7. Being a leader requires you to be at your best – look after yourself – put your oxygen mask on first and ensure you look after yourself so you can come back tomorrow for another day.
8. Be authentic – authentic leadership – be yourself and your people will respect you and follow you. While it’s talked about a lot really being true to you and being your own leader is critical.
While there are other lessons that we have learnt these would be have been the top 8.
We continue every week to bring you leaders that inspire, challenge and give you a different perspective. For an investment of 30 mins of your time – please tune into The Chiefs each week on Wednesday to ensure you don’t miss a beat.
If you would love to be on our podcast – please click the button below and we will be in contact.
Want to talk about building your business? Reach out.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations with a focus on people just as much as financial outcomes.
We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
Article by Jo Hands, Co-Founder Whiteark
The Whiteark Guide to Supply Chain Optimisation
The coronavirus pandemic highlighted the need for companies to focus on transforming their traditional supply chain models to digital supply networks, in order to better manage supply chain risk and disruption. Digital supply networks, breakdown functional silos and allow companies to become connected to their complete supply network to empower end to end visibility, collaboration, agility, and optimisation. Organisations that deploy Digital supply networks will be equipped to deal with unexpected events.
The coronavirus pandemic highlighted the need for companies to focus on transforming their traditional supply chain models to digital supply networks, in order to better manage supply chain risk and disruption.
With the growing emergence of new supply chain technologies, organisations can invest in enablers that will support their supply chain network in resisting unexpected disruption. These technologies significantly improve visibility across the supply chain and are designed to anticipate and meet future challenges.
Some of these enablers include:
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Intelligent, self-correcting AI will make inventory monitoring more accurate and reduce material waste.
Blockchain
Will verify authenticity, improve traceability and visibility, and improve transactional trust.
Quantum Computing
Unprecedented computational power will solve previously unsolvable problems.
Internet of Things (IoT)
Data from IoT sensors will provide insight into inventory location and status.
Intelligent Order Management
Supply chains will master inventory visibility with improved demand forecasting and automation.
Digital Twins
Virtual representations of complex creations — let you track objects through entire lifecycles.
Digital supply networks, breakdown functional silos and allow companies to become connected to their complete supply network to empower end to end visibility, collaboration, agility, and optimisation. Organisations that deploy Digital supply networks will be equipped to deal with unexpected events.
Supply chain optimisation.
Supply chain optimisation makes the best use of technology and resources such as blockchain, AI and IoT to improve efficiency, responsiveness and performance in a supply network so that companies can provide customers with what they want, when and where they want it – in a way that positively contributes to the organisation’s profitability and sustainability. An organisation’s supply chain is a critical business process that is crucial for a successful customer experience.
Goals of Supply Chain Optimisation
Top supply chain trends for 2021.
Contents of the Guide.
Mitigating supply chain disruption.
Supply chain optimisation.
The process for optimising your supply chain.
Key features of effective supply chain optimisation.
The importance for supply chain optimisation.
Supply chain trends.
Looking to transform your Supply Chain? Reach out.
Our team has extensive global experience leading large scale Supply Chain Transformations from Factory to Customer across multiple industries. We have in depth capabilities around designing and delivering value in the Physical, Financial and Information (Digital) Supply Chain and can help your organisation create competitive advantage and value centred on the global supply chain.
We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. So, if you’re looking to transform, reimagine or upgrade your supply chain then complete the form below or give us a call on 1300 240 047 for an no-obligation conversation.
Measuring transformation success
We know it’s cliché, but “what gets measured, gets managed”. A transformation program is undertaken to enhance an organisations performance and boost its health; it is fundamental to the success of your transformation that you measure your progress along the way.
We know it’s cliché, but “what gets measured, gets managed”. A transformation program is undertaken to enhance an organisations performance and boost its health; it is fundamental to the success of your transformation that you measure your progress along the way.
The following checklist can be used as a guide for measuring the success of your transformation program:
Define Success
Agree on what success is for your transformation program. This is something you would have agreed early in the strategic planning phase.
KPI Scorecard
Define the key metrics that are crucial to evaluating the transformation’s success and build a scorecard. Use a combination of lead and lag indicators and qualitative and quantitative metrics.
Baseline
It is fundamental that you have a baseline for all your metrics prior to commencing your transformation program. This will allow you to understand the true impact the transformation is having on your organisation. You need to be able to see the movement on your scorecard.
Pivot
Incorporating leading indicators will help detect any challenges or risks early on and allow you to pivot in order to influence a more positive result for your transformation’s success.
Frequency
It is critical that your scorecard is refreshed at a reasonable frequency to monitor the movement relative to the effort/changes being executed.
Need to curate your own transformation checklist, specific to your business needs? Let us help.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations. Focused on delivering both commercial and financial outcomes.
We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
The importance of innovation during a pandemic
According to McKinsey, organisations that have focused on innovation during the recovery of a crisis came back 30% stronger than companies who did not. Concentrating on the long term and planning for growth rather than survival will help gain a competitive advantage during the recovery.
According to McKinsey, organisations that have focused on innovation during the recovery of a crisis came back 30% stronger than companies who did not. Concentrating on the long term and planning for growth rather than survival will help gain a competitive advantage during the recovery.
The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted nearly every industry; and as the government begins to ease restrictions, companies are exploring ways to recover their losses. During the onset of COVID-19 organisations innovated rapidly with a short-term focus on continuing operations and employee safety. In the recovery phase, companies will require a considerable amount of strategic innovation (growth and change) rather than reactive innovation, to explore future opportunities centered around core business models.
It is key for organisations to innovate with a purpose to increase their likelihood of success for the long term. Companies should focus on growth and gaining an advantage over their competitors. The below framework will help with explore growth strategies.
Assess changing demands and needs of consumers
The recent pandemic has fundamentally changed the way most businesses operate, particularly because of the rapid adoption of digitisation. Companies need to understand the demands and needs of consumers by analysing the new patterns of spending. Once change has been identified, analyse what it means and its impact on your industry and business.
Consider ways to respond
Now that you understand the change in consumer spending patterns, explore ways in which your organisation is equipped to respond. This requires planning for the future, think about the pain points the changing consumer behaviour reveals and task your innovative experts with creating some new products or services to address these customer pain points.
Change your business model
Organisations need to accept that the way that their business operated prior to COVID-19 is history. It is important to identify ways in which your former business model has been permanently changed and then look at ways you can transform these models into new ones to make way for future growth.
Each industry and each company have their own unique challenges and opportunities to explore, so innovation will look different for everyone. One critical enabler to strategic innovation post COVID-19 is technology. Once you identify opportunities to pivot your business model, consider what technologies can help you get there - e-commerce, artificial intelligence, virtual realities, touchless technologies etc.
When considering your innovation strategy, remember to adapt to changing consumer wants, explore new opportunities, and allocate resources towards innovation.
Need to map your way forward through Covid19 and innovate from the inside out? Let us help.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations. Focused on delivering both commercial and financial outcomes. We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
How to ensure your transformation is successful
Getting your transformation right is more important than ever. We are approaching the pointy end of 2020 and it’s time to think strategically and anticipate, and prepare what your business will look when the new normal emerges.
Getting your transformation right is more important than ever. We are approaching the pointy end of 2020 and it’s time to think strategically and anticipate, and prepare what your business will look when the new normal emerges.
Your company may need to move in a new direction, accelerate product and service innovations, accelerate digitisation across the organisation, reduce expenses and improve efficiencies, or strengthen your competitive position. No matter what the business driver is, they will require a shift from the current state.
Planning and executing a transformation program to realise critical strategic objectives isn’t easy. It’s hard to believe that more than 70% of transformation programs do not successfully deliver what was required. Often, the plan that has been developed is right, it’s when you get into the execution phase that problems start to arise. People in the organisation then start to become cynical, “the last transformation program didn’t deliver the desired results so why would this one be any different”. Renaming the transformation program or allocating a different group of resources doesn’t usually result in the achievement of your desired outcomes.
We provide practical hands-on tips on how to ensure your transformation program is a success:
Lead from the front
Appoint a leader that is to be accountable for the program. Be sure your leader is prepared to effectively lead people through change, be visible and drive the importance of this program.
Be clear on what success is
Define what you are going to do, why you will do it, what the benefits of change are, and what the dangers of not changing are. Ensure you get buy-in from key stakeholders who will support the transformation.
Checklist:
Has a clear vision of the future been articulated and widely accepted?
Is the rationale for change sensible, clear and sound?
Are benefits well defined?
Does the case for change/opportunity outweigh risk?
Has a clear roadmap been developed and shared to gain input and support?
Have stakeholders who are critical to the transformation’s success been identified and their personal value drivers learned?
Is it clear how stakeholders will be proactively involved in making the transformation happen, to build their support and maintain their engagement?
Find your champions
Develop a champion network across the organisation to support and drive the program; ensuring key messages and impacts are well understood and accepted. Use this network to do communications, get feedback and help you create a positive momentum in the organisation / team around this program.
Importance of Change Management
Don’t underestimate change management requirements to successfully embed change in the organisation. Change management is a buzz word but the importance of it is critical to ensure the program is a success. Work out what the team needs to support the change and provide the guidance required to ensure that the change is implemented.
Measure success
Accurately measure and track success. Ensure you are transparent where things are off track and communicate risks and challenges and appropriate mitigation plans.
This framework will guide you through your transformation, but the real power is in the effectiveness of the execution. And that’s where we come in.
Need to ensure that your own business transformation is successful? Let us help.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations. Focused on delivering both commercial and financial outcomes. We understand that execution is the hardest part, and we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
Top tips for managers and leaders to successfully lead their team through Covid 19
Phoebe Reid writes on how Covid-19 has changed the way we work and lead teams. It is really important that managers and leaders can recognise the new challenges facing employees. The isolation of working from home impacts individuals differently and so…
Covid 19 has changed the way we work and lead teams.
It is really important that managers and leaders can recognise the new challenges facing employees.
The isolation of working from home impacts individuals differently and so leadership styles need to be reflected on and adapted to this new way of working.
Communicate, communicate, communicate
Communicate clearly, often and simply
Provide a clear understanding of what is expected from your team, set clear priorities and expectations of roles
Be available via regular catch ups individually and team – phone and zoom/Microsoft teams mix it up as people are getting Zoom /Microsoft teams’ fatigue! Don’t cancel these unless really need to
A robust performance appraisal process with measurable KPI’s will help with this. But these may need to be reviewed and adjusted, make sure they are realistic
Share what you can about how the business going
People are uber sensitive about their job security, so it is important that they have a sense of being informed and kept up to date
Stay true to your values and culture
Core values inform and reinforce your company’s culture, strategic direction, recruitment processes and how you interact with your customers and clients
Acknowledge that the meaning of values might vary with these challenging times, with most people remote working
Lead by example
For employees to adapt they need to feel valued. This will assist in their productivity and ultimate success.
You want your culture to be one that is supportive, empathetic, inclusive, collaborative, proactive and encourages initiative
Recognize and reward employees who embrace and live the values, call this out int team forums
Genuinely care about your teams’ well-being
Check in regularly and ask how your team really are, truly listen
Be flexible to their person circumstances
Show that you are human too, be authentic, talk about your fears, answer questions and reassure them about work and personal issues
Have fun – in these challenging times find ways to connect and have fun…ask the team what works for them
Promote your company Employee Assistance Program - make sure employees know where to find information, guidance and support for mental health
Find out from your team what in terms of wellbeing initiatives, some suggestions are 10,000 /day step challenge, 1 hour/ day to do someone that makes you feel good, exercise/cooking relaxing this helps connectedness with employees and increases morale
Promote the wellbeing initiatives that already exist
Need a hand building your organisations capabilities to lead through Covid-19?
Let us help. To learn more about building and executing an inclusive strategy for your employees, contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
Article by Phoebe Reid
Resetting your Go-To-Market Strategy during this Pandemic
There isn’t a business in the world, big or small that hasn’t been impacted by the COVID pandemic. For some the impacts will have been catastrophic, for others they actually have been positive, but for all of us there has been a change and there will …
There isn’t a business in the world, big or small that hasn’t been impacted by the COVID pandemic.
For some the impacts will have been catastrophic, for others they actually have been positive, but for all of us there has been a change and there will continue to be changes both good and bad that we must confront.
The reality is that regardless of where your business finds itself right at this moment, good or bad, you can’t just sit idle, you need to respond to the voice of your customers and to the messages the market is sending you.
The measures businesses on both sides of the impact equation have taken to protect staff, ensuring they are safely working from home, standing up processes that allow this to happen whilst continuing to serve customers, and most importantly ensuring that their mental wellbeing is front of mind has been critical in giving businesses the chance to reset.
Unfortunately, this reset in its own right won’t be enough to ensure that businesses survive or continue to thrive beyond this pandemic. In order to achieve this your businesses will need to redefine it’s go-to-market strategy to (a) match the market conditions and opportunities right now and (b) to predict what market conditions might look like on the other side.
Here are some thoughts on where you might start and some of the activities that might help you pivot accordingly:
Stay close to your customers
In times of crisis we naturally retreat and seek to protect our own, our staff, our revenues which is natural. Our customers are being impacted as much as we ae and we must continue to engage them to understand what their situation is, not with a view to selling them but with a view to being genuinely customer centric and showing that value is real. Having this frame of reference will help you to continue to engage with your customers through this pandemic with the trust you’ve built over time, empathy and most importantly on their terms. Engaging customers now will only enhance your customer experience, focus on this as a personal activity, not as a commercial one.
Be clear on the value you deliver to your customers
Now is not the time to sell aggressively, it’s the right time however to reaffirm the reason and purpose for why your company/product exists. Have your sales and marketing team remind you of this narrative, why your company and/or product exists? Remember you exist because there is a problem or a pain point that you are serving in the market that your customers can’t do without. In this current environment your goal is to be so closely connected to your customers that you understand their pain as it stands in this pandemic and more importantly how you and your team can help them solve them. Now more than ever, your customers are looking to be more than just buyers, they want to partner with people who are partners. There is no better time than now to re-assess your sales and GTM process and establish new targets and goals that are helping address the gaps to your customers problems.
Engage your local community
This pandemic has made life hard for every community, they are all suffering from the lack of connection with family, friends and the even the businesses they love. This is the time to support those businesses who are supporting their communities to get through this, do this because you care about these communities not because you are seeking better sales results or higher profits. This is an opportunity for us to be leaders in our actions, to show goodwill, compassion, lend support to our customers without expecting anything in return. Yours customers will become even greater beacons for your brand and or your product and they will become the community champions for you.
It’s clear that there is no definitive timeframe for how long this pandemic will go on, however it is imperative that you can’t just sit in hope.
Adapting your go-to-market strategy to the reality of this pandemic situation is an action that with deliver returns both now and also for the other side.
We are living with the reality in Australia that each state is responding to this pandemic slightly differently and as a consequence we need to ensure that our response is reflective of these variables and the fact that our customers realities and emotions will all be different.
There’s no better time than right now for your business to check in on your go-to-market approach, reaffirm or perhaps even reshape it so as to help you maintain the advantage you have or reignite the values as to why you exist.
Here’s to a post pandemic reality for your business that shines brighter than the reality of yesterday and today.
Looking to build your own Go To Market strategy?
Let us help. To learn more about how to build a go-to-market strategy for your customers, contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
This pandemic has changed the way we serve our customers for ever; or has it?
This pandemic has changed the way we will serve our customers forever; or has it? Is that the sound of the end of the night out at the movies? Will any of us ever dare dream of heading to the gym again? Listening to the doom and gloom in this …
Is that the sound of the end of the night out at the movies? Will any of us ever dare dream of heading to the gym again? Listening to the doom and gloom in this unprecedented time would have us believe that we are witnessing the end of any type of physical engagement with products or services?
The question is that whilst at this moment, customer experience might be suspended do you care enough to start transforming your customers now so that you don’t disconnect in this period of hiatus?
Sometime in recent years it became the height of modernity to have strangers sleep in your bed when you weren’t there or to sit next to you as you drove from one city to another. It felt futuristic to mention that the gym you went to was because you had a membership that allowed you to go anywhere, anytime. It was cool to catch a movie with your partner, order the meal online and be wined and dined in-front of the big screen. This movement was called the sharing economy and it relied upon certain widely held assumptions, such as that it is fine to be near other people and that it is alright to touch what they have touched what they touched, it was also enabled by clever technology and customer experience strategies.
In this age of pandemic anxiety, these assumptions have all but evaporated. The sharing, or peer-to-peer, economy was meant to represent the commerce of the future, the perfect fusion of technology and reality. That destiny now looks shaky at best. What will happen to Fitness First, to the Gold class movie experience, dating apps? What will become of the start-ups enabling us to monetise our health, our travel, our spare time? And, beyond the brands themselves, what will happen to the people who were making some or all of their income from these platforms?
Is life as we know it, over?
Given we have moved beyond bunkering in to wondering what we should do to safeguard tomorrow?
The immediate future for most businesses will surely involve some kind of grey area between house arrest and a version of pre-pandemic freedom. Lockdowns and physical distancing will be escalated and de-escalated by the government like the gears in a car.
Some businesses might suffer greatly in full lockdown but then thrive when movement is even slightly freer if they chose to face into their reality now and see this as an opportunity to improve or transform to tomorrow. I believe that when we open up, demand will be robust because people will be overjoyed to be liberated and if they can afford it, will indulge.
Most expect there to be a post-pandemic behavioural shift. We can expect for example that there will be a new normal around physical distancing. Employees I’m certain will be eager to return to work, but there will need to be a rethink of the workplace and of engagement to incorporate working from home and working from the office.
We will most certainly go back to the gym, maybe even venture out to dinner or to the movies but that too will be different, it will be defined by a new normal one that business must create and start engaging their customers on today. It will be defined by those who have a clear strategy for speaking to their customers now, sharing with them their thoughts and listening to the hopes and dreams of those they serve.
In order to assess the future of your business, it’s worth reflecting on the customers you serve and what might change for them?
The truth is that the future is likely to change in terms of the way we engage, our customers priorities might shift or their needs may be slightly different?
Make no mistake, the value shift towards an even more customer centric and social consciousness will only continue – and part of that is a big vote for the value your organisation places on the customer versus your own needs. The idea that this is the way we’ve done and it’s the way we’ll always do it was radically shifted forever when we pivoted to the sharing economy. Who would have ever dreamed that I could book my car as I was having my coffee and not worry about trying to hail a cab? By providing customers with communications and strategies on how your organisation intends to serve their needs post this pandemic is something you should be working on now.
It’s always been about the customer right, that’s what we all tell ourselves and now that in some industries we are in a position that we can’t serve them we’ve stopped leveraging the time we have to continue talking to them, or have we?
Whatever happens with this pandemic, however long it takes to get to a better place, the sheer force of the technologies that are available to everyone will ensure that those who have a clear line of sight of their customers will most definitely be ready to go again.
It’s conceivable that the new world order may be different, however be clear that most of the underlying principles around customer experience will remain the same.
If nothing else, make this the moment that belongs to someone else, the customers you serve?
Looking to build your own Go To Market strategy?
Let us help. To learn more about how to build a go-to-market strategy for your customers, contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
What gets measured gets done
Whilst financial metrics are critical, non-financial metrics are also key drivers that work to align the overall vision and values of the organisation. If it’s not part of your KPIs, then it’s probably not worth measuring. Now, most of us have heard the phrase ‘what measures gets done’. It sounds simple right? But when it comes to measuring what actually matters, it gets a bit tricker.
If it’s not part of your KPIs it’s probably not worth measuring. Most of us have heard the phrase ‘what measures gets done’. Sounds simple right? But when it comes to measuring what matters, it gets a bit tricker.
There are many organisations that aren’t clear on what they should be measuring. An easy way to address this is by using my KPI scorecard – see the breakdown below.
Alignment to strategy
Ensure the metrics being measured align with your organisation’s strategy. For example, if you’re measuring organic traffic to your website but your strategy is all about driving leads via performance advertising, then this should be your first focus. Every KPI should have a measurable lead indicator. Sure, you can measure outside of this, but put your KPI measurements first and ensure they are adequately resourced before looking at anything else.
Set targets
For each of the key metrics, set targets that are a stretch by achievable. These targets should align to a financial year; end of year target and monthly profile to deliver the end of year metric.
Look at your baseline for last fin year and then consider the environment you’re operating in now and what kind of % increase you think can realistically be achieved. Talk to the relevant experts in the business and ask them to help form a plausible growth scenario.
Regular measurement
When selecting what data outputs you’ll be measuring, get picky.
There should be no more than 20 key metrics that a business reviews and measures each week. For metrics that aren’t performing; a detailed plan should be prepared for the next month to get the metric back on track.
Refresh your metrics
Sticking to the same strategy all year isn’t always realistic. The beauty of measuring strategic outcomes each month allows for real time business decisions. This informed angle, means you can confidently pivot when necessary. If this is the case, update your metrics to align with these changes. And don’t forget to clearly document these changes and communicate them to the wider team. Especially those who are managing measurement.
Top Tip
It’s important to note; while financial metrics are critical, non-financial metrics are also key drivers, working to align the overall vision and values of the organisation.
Stop your reporting
Once you’ve sorted your KPI scorecard, it’s time to take a step back. Most organisations have so much reporting that it doesn’t get reviewed or given the attention needed to make it valuable. This is a common problem and can also make the task of analysing data end up in the ‘too hard basket’.
So stop. Now that you have a clear idea of what you should be focussing on, everything else is just clutter. Put in place one weekly dashboard of the top 20 metrics that align to the business objectives. Provide performance and commentary for how each of the metrics are tracking. If you have a clear view on these, you’re much better off than measuring more but not reporting accurately.
Need a starting point?
Whiteark can help. We have a network of experts with practical experience implementing metrics measurements that matter to organisations.
Whether it’s advice or hands-on assistance, the Whiteark team are your go-to for valuable data analysis. Contact whiteark@whiteark.com.au or call +61 459 826 221 to discuss.
Trees that deliver outcomes
It’s possible I am showing my age with this article, but I love driver trees! Also known as KPI trees… Every time I go into a business I build myself one of these. Fundamentally, driver trees help support growth and demonstrate how each business function can contribute to success. Here’s a rundown…
Driver trees help support growth and demonstrate how each business function can contribute to success.
It’s possible I am showing my age with this article, but I love driver trees!
Also known as KPI trees, every time I go into a business I build myself one of these. It helps to support growth and demonstrate how each business function can contribute to the success of the business.
Here’s a rundown.
What can a driver tree deliver?
Understanding the key drivers in the business results in the following benefits:
A better P&L result
A clear view of the metrics you need to measure
Visibility of where material value is derived
Understanding the sensitivity a lever movement has on P&L result.
Executing strategy and helping you prioritise
When building a driver tree, my advice is simple:
Don’t overcomplicate things – just keep it really simple. What drives value in the business? This is what you want all teams in the business to be focussed on.
Be clear on what this value is – P&L result, number of members, value to members? Value is different for all companies, so defining this upfront is imperative as it will drive the overall levers.
Decide what levers will deliver your desired outcome – confirm can it be measured – if it can’t, it can’t be a lever.
Highlight levers that are easy to pivot on – no matter how well versed you are in business, no one has all the answers. So starting off with levers that are easy to change gives you an opportunity to test what works.
Highlight the levers that are difficult to change – get ahead of the eight ball and work out a strategy that will allow you to have some flex in this space if necessary.
Measurement is power – using the concept of measuring what matters that I spoke about last week will help your business choose levers that are easier to action, give you a clear understanding of what’s working and what’s not and, most importantly, can be embraced and developed by your team.
If you’d like to us to share more detail on just how beneficial drivers trees can be to supporting your current strategy let us know and we will gladly send you a sample driver tree that you can manipulate in your context to help drive success.
Our team at Whiteark consists of a network of experts who work with businesses to map their value drivers and identify areas to drive an improved outcome. Whether you’d like advice on building a driver tree, or for hands-on help, we’re here. Get in touch on whiteark@whiteark.com.au.
Staying on Track & Leading Through Covid-19
On the surface working from home sounds pretty good. Not so much when it’s all day, every day. Leading your team through COVID is a real challenge and requires the leader to demonstrate genuine compassion and ability to communicate.
On the surface working from home sounds pretty good. Not so much when it’s all day, every day.
Leading your team through COVID is a real challenge and requires the leader to demonstrate genuine compassion and ability to communicate.
Here are some simple tips from the Whiteark team that might help…..
How to turn Ground Hog Day into a normal(ish) day
On the surface working from home sounds pretty good. Not so much when it’s all day, every day. There’s no water cooler relief, no Friday lunches, no direct contact. This can take its toll. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways alleviate WFH fatigue. Here are my top picks. Not surprisingly – they’re all centred on communication.
Keep your team on track
Set priorities and expectations of roles and keep your team accountable. A robust performance appraisal process with measurable KPI’s will help – bear in mind these may need to be adjusted. Accountability keeps the momentum going and ensures your team feels purpose and doesn’t drift off into a WFH abyss.
Make yourself available
Frequent one-on-ones are extremely important. This helps your team feel valued and ensures they know that you know how hard they are working. It gives them a chance to gain your confidence and have a meaningful conversation that can’t be achieved via Slack, email or in a group meeting. Connections like this are so important when we’re operating in a vacuum.
Think carefully about team catch-ups
It’s a fine line balancing the need for open communication vs too much of it. What used to be an informal convo within your team’s pod, is now usually a formalised online catch up. This can cause meeting fatigue and get in the way of productivity. Try to think strategically about meetings. Could one meeting be a 15 minute extension of another? Could your weekly 1.5 hour WIP change to fortnightly with 15 minute morning stand-ups as a substitute?
What does your team need to know?
Right now, people are super sensitive about their job security, so it is important to create a sense of inclusiveness and transparency. As a business owner or executive manager you’re privy to regular business updates. It’s important any nonsensitive business movement is also shared with your teams. Whether they agree with the updates or not, it makes them feel connected to the business.
Stay true to your values and culture
Core values inform and reinforce your company’s culture, strategic direction, recruitment processes and how you interact with your customers and clients. In times of uncertainty it’s very important to identify and reinforce these values to your staff. This provides an anchor to work from and demonstrates the business is on track, strong and stable.
Culture club
For employees to successfully adapt to this new style of working, they need to feel valued within their role. This equals more than a regular check in. It’s also about the broader team culture. You want this to be supportive, empathetic, inclusive, collaborative, proactive and encouraging initiative. Use team forums to highlight employees who have done a great job. Try to give everyone an opportunity to shine. Spread the praise. Don’t forget about the wall flowers.
Be authentic, not perfect
While you’re expected to play a strong leadership role, you also need to empathise with your teams’ challenges. This means you might need to relax a little and expose some of your own vulnerabilities. When running your one-on-ones think about what it means to really listen and care. Answer questions and provide reassurance on work and/or personal issues.
Get your team smiling
This is so important. There are plenty of ways to crack a grin – team quizzes, virtual drinks, step challenges, exercise time-outs, cooking challenges – ask the team what works for them. Try different formats or a mix. Just make sure you have regular time booked each week, where the conversation has nothing to do with work. It’s about relaxing and connecting as a team.
The buck stops with you
As you can see there are many small ways you can make a big difference to your team’s experience while working from home. Not only do these practices help them perform as happy, high functioning, individuals, it will also create a strong, united group – and that’s exactly what you need to do your job.
The CFO role has never been so important. Companies are navigating uncertain territory and having a strong CFO that can manage the nuts and bolts of finance and help navigate the commercial as well is instrumental to how companies navigate this period.