Post Covid re-set: What can we learn from the front line to help us transform our organisations?

We’ve been working with front line organisations such as police forces, the NHS, prison services and governments in the UK and overseas for almost 25 years. We help them manage substantial change and reform as well as navigating times of crisis and uncertainty. We tackle complex issues such as terrorism, dementia, corruption, substance misuse, modern-day slavery and cyber-crime.

In my (Helen Gibson) years of working with organisations on the front line, I’ve come to realise they are made up of quite exceptional people. Men and women having to think strategically under extreme pressure and making decisions which could literally result in life or death.

There are tremendous lessons we can learn from these people and organisations on the front line, and apply to our own organisations during times of uncertainty.

RESET - make sense of the chaos

Step back, take a breath and digest what’s happening. The only way you’ll be able to see the whole picture is if you aren’t in it. This way you won’t miss anything and be able to identify the cracks and weak spots.

IDENTIFY - what’s not working?

Times of crises always highlight weaknesses in our organisations. Are your workforce slowly disengaging? Are new business opportunities harder to come by because we’re not physically networking? Are your processes and systems under strain? Has innovation gone out the window and made way for survival? Are personal relationships and team moral suffering?

PRIORITISE - what needs attention now?

Don’t be a victim of ‘paralysis by analysis’ - double down on the things which are going to make an immediate difference to your business today. That will give you the headspace to think about the longer-term things you need to do. Up your engagement. Communicate regularly with staff, customers and suppliers. Make it easy for people to access you in every way possible (website, phone, social media, email).

IMPLEMENT - make it happen

Stop procrastinating - take the plunge. Whatever you decide to do, stick by your decision, articulate your vision and make sure your whole team knows what’s expected of them. As our organisations pivot and adapt to the new world, there will be major changes including redundancies and other difficult conversations. So it’s vital that we, as leaders, have belief, passion and positivity in bucket-loads. We are the people everyone’s looking at to drive the change.

MEASURE & ASSESS - is it working?

Every great organisation monitors its data. These figures tell you the real story and not just what you ‘think’ or want to hear. Collecting data on different revenue streams, production efficiency, marketing reach etc will help you make decisions about what’s working and what’s not. The world is changing so fast that you can’t possibly know everything (and that’s ok). But our job as leaders is to use the knowledge at our fingertips to inform decisions that will have the biggest impact on our organisation.

Finally… make sure you look after you. The old analogy of putting your oxygen mask on before helping others is absolutely true here. It’s crucial you make time for your own wellbeing. Whether it’s exercise, meditation, speaking with friends, time with your children - switch off (properly!) and rebuild your personal strength ready for the next challenge.

Whether you need specific technical expertise, an extra pair of hands, training, or organisational development support? If you and your team need to re-set and transform post-covid, we’ll work with you to make it happen. Examples include working with:

Local Authority public health leads, including looking at the universal funding pot allocation;
GP Practice Managers, providing them with fortnightly one to one wellbeing consultations via Agencia’s Primary Care Direct service;
Government departments to design and deliver transformational projects that 'cut across' existing boundaries and reach into the most challenging communities with collaboratively designed outcomes;
Community and secondary care…because now more than ever – it’s important to keep people out of hospital if possible;
Agencies in the fight against high level corruption, organised crime and money laundering;
Services tackling knife crime, youth offending, inter-generational addiction and communities that struggle to engage with support services;
Organisations to investigate covid fraud, including counterfeit medicines and medical supplies.

Picture is of Kate Pearce from Agencia’s Primary Care Direct team.

About Agencia

Agencia has been transforming organisations for over 23 years. We not only design the change but also make it happen, turning strategy into action and action into results.

We are a team of industry experts with years of on the ground experience. Our solutions are pragmatic and down to earth.

We are a family run business with values based on collaboration, practical and realistic methods for making a difference.

We have been trusted to deliver over 400 contracts, developing and exporting British public service expertise. We have improved government capabilities, transformed entire organisations, developed communities and changed lives.

We thrive on the most challenging projects, finding inspiration where others may find difficulty.

We operate worldwide.

Agencia has been appointed as a Northern Powerhouse Export Champion.

To find out more, please see our about us page https://agencialtd.com/about-us/ or contact us: https://agencialtd.com/contact-us/

Follow Agencia on LinkedIn and Twitter or contact us at info@agencialtd.com.