I feel the need, the need for speed

Much has been said about the “new normal” as we adapt our organisations to Post-COVID environment, and what the enduring future will eventually become is too early to tell. With all the hype, it was refreshing to read a well researched piece by McKinsey who reported on the 9 ways (shown in the diagram below) that organisations can enable more agile and faster ways of operating, from experiences learned through the crisis.

While the entire article is impressive and definitely worth your time to read, the first pillar “Rethink ways of working” personally stood out for me, with my personal love of data. It's an area I am truly passionate about and I recently presented a webinar called “Empowering your frontline” , which discussed in depth the impact of enabling your frontline workforce to make decisions and the key steps to enabling those teams. I also covered in a blog post the importance of data, during a crisis to enable effective decisions. The quote below mirrors the key message of my webinar.

“Employees must also be equipped with the right skills and mindsets to solve problems, instead of waiting to be told what to do.”

We are shaped by our own experience and this forms the lens through which we see the world. In my case, I attended the Australian Defence Force Academy and spent a number of years as an Air Force Officer. Reading about the organisational structure and leadership pillars in the article, I was reminded of my time in the military and the types of leaders who we are drawn to follow. I do naturally gravitate towards the Dominant personality types (DISC) so I connected with the McKinsey message. However, we must consider that while these personalities thrive in dynamic environments, that require quick and decisive actions, they can build organisational debt and must be balanced with the other personality types, to maintain performance and success over the long-term. It will be interesting to observe how organisations that might accelerate the development of these types of leaders, will perform as the environment we operate in stabilises in the future.

Again a great article by McKinsey and if you haven’t yet had a read I encourage you to do so.