For Charity Chairs, CEOs and Senior Managers, providing leadership, guidance and support over the last few weeks has probably been the most demanding scenario they’ve ever experienced.
The COVID19 pandemic will have stretched people’s capabilities, confidence and capacity to their limits (and that’s putting to one side the extra demands of a variety of personal circumstances).
And now, there’s a clamour for the ‘new normal’. What exactly does that sound bite mean? It’s made its way into everyday language, but is there such a thing?
It implies there will be a clearly identifiable, single set of circumstances that will settle into something predictable. How realistic is that?
In my view, it’s much more likely that the future will be a succession of changing scenarios requiring charities to be adaptable, flexible and change-able so they can respond and react to a continually changing landscape. It’s often summarised as VUCA - volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.
For charities to be ready for this environment there will need to be a dramatic ramping up of skills, external awareness, networking and collaboration. It’s not that charities have necessarily been lacking in these activities, it will be the speed and scale that’s different.
Decisions will have to be made without perhaps all of the data you might like, the range of outcomes might be imperfect or difficult whichever you choose, the challenge of retaining the confidence and engagement of employees, volunteers, beneficiaries, regulators and the general public will demand extra time and effort. The challenges are huge.
The good news is that the Third Sector has shown itself to be amazingly resilient, adapting to previously unforeseen demands in short order.
It’s also true and leaders of charities know this for sure; however good their organisation is today, tomorrow it will need to be better.
In The Round Advisors supports charities in a unique way. We help leaders to see their charity differently, to see how all of its components connect, affect and interact with each other. The result is joined up thinking, at speed in a way that maximises the odds of strong positive outcomes while minimising the unintended consequences or unwanted outcomes from every change you take forward.
Our experience, your knowledge and the active involvement of your people is a powerful combination to meet the challenge of the VUCA world and we’re ready to help.
To get started, just click here for our free download ‘ Navigating out of pandemic mode’ and remember our hour long discovery session is absolutely free.
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