Managing virtual Board meetings

Board members and chairs have generally been impressed with the commitment of Board members to adapt to the constraints and realities of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, they report that in a virtual environment, Board meetings take more active management and more...

Week 15: What have we learned in 100 days?

Life before the lockdown feels an age ago. In fact, it’s just 100 days and so we’ve been reflecting on the changes that leaders have faced as the weeks turned into months.  At the beginning, the sudden shock of lockdown was a problem that had to be addressed with...

Week 14: Time for more cross-organisational conversations

As high streets cautiously re-open their doors to shoppers and people look forward to the possibility of enjoying some sort of summer holiday, public health officials try to forecast the likelihood of a second wave of the epidemic and business leaders explore multiple...

Week 13: Leaders have tough choices ahead

Leaders have been on an unprecedented journey in the last three months. The shock of the dramatic lockdown in March prompted the need to control events. The government acted in a necessarily directive manner telling sectors who could trade or not, enforcing home based...

Week 12: Little things can make a big difference

Nearly 3 months into lockdown, it’s a good time to review what we’ve learned and, assuming we’re going to be leading teams remotely for some time to come, to invest some time and effort in improving the experience for all concerned. Here are some of the tips we’ve...

Week 10: Leadership endurance & sharing control

New policy announcements and changes to government lockdown advice across the UK mean that for many businesses and their leaders this week feels like the transition to a new phase in dealing with this epidemic, and as with any transition this can bring both enhanced...

Week 9: Creating a better virtual conversation

Two months into the lockdown and many of us have become regular users of the various digital conferencing media products that now are available – Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex and others. These products are essential leadership tools to keep decision-making...

Week 8: Many rivers to cross

Many analogies for leaders planning a major change use the image of crossing a river. They talk of building a bridge; starting with pathfinders feeling their way on stepping-stones, before raising bridge supports on solid foundations to carry the weight of the...

Week 7: Two strategies for coping with uncertainty

Coping with uncertainty.  As we enter week 7, talk is of recovery plans and exit strategies. But deep down as leaders we know that these public pronouncements will only present a new set of challenges for our organisations and our staff as the environment of...