In an unprecedented context, we are looking for the references to which to cling. As a seasoned sailor, Jean Baptiste Gouin, As President of talenco, he shares his vision of the storm that every company and every leader is experiencing… And especially how we will get back on track.
A new ocean
Never have we wanted to get out of our present time more than now. Where we are witnessing a health tragedy worthy of the most terrifying blockbusters, the carpe diem It turns into «I am concerned about the present day and what we will become tomorrow...».
Jean Baptiste Gouin, CEO of talenco
Intimately, we are not seeking to retreat into nostalgia, a refuge of value in which to hide, but rather into a new tomorrow. A new tomorrow that accelerates our aspirations for meaning, for respect for the planet, perhaps even for fraternity.
In this hope, there are real questions.
In what state will we emerge from these health, financial and economic crises? What social crisis will they leave behind? How will each household resume consumption? What will be the state of our financial, industrial and especially human resources to «restart the machine»?
All at the Cape
During this crisis, the state is playing its role of providing maximum support in terms of health care, of course, but also from an economic point of view: partial unemployment, loans guaranteed by the state… Our companies are under an artificial respirator… this will only be temporary. Only when the health crisis is over will we count our economic losses in terms of bankruptcies, which, despite reassuring political messages, will be inevitable.
One hand for oneself, one hand for the boat
From the very beginning of the crisis, each leader had the responsibility to protect their employees, to ensure national support and solidarity (the large distribution sector, the banks...), but also to protect their financial assets and cash reserves in order to anticipate the recovery, even if it will always take too long.
Have all our employees understood this? The issue is no longer winning market shares or sales revenue; it is managing cash flow so that when the storm passes, we can fully rely on the bridge.
«The captain's quality in his vision of the cap and the coordination of the maneuver will be decisive»
First to brag… first to fire…
If I am convinced that it is in the recovery phase that everything will unfold (the survival or not of the company), things won’t start up as quickly. We will witness a phase of cyclical growth for which the recovery maneuver will not be easy…
The leaders will have to rely on a committed team, but above all coordinate the maneuver to ensure success. Focus efforts on clear priorities The crew will therefore have to exert effort on the same target at the same time, constantly ensuring the effect of the maneuver.
In other words, the captain’s quality (already proven in managing the crisis…) in his vision of the goal and the coordination of the maneuver will be crucial!
Repairing under the cover
For companies that have managed to pull off the maneuver, it will be necessary to take the time, without waiting too long, to repair the damage in preparation for the upcoming harvest.
The experiences of what we are going through will be a wealth of lessons. Few anticipation processes (crisis management, business continuity plan…) will have truly survived the power of the wave. They will have been seriously tested…
In a pre-crisis context, as we knew, our organizations were much too rigid and siloed; they would not have allowed for the division of the waterway. This is where the an agile, multi-skilled and coordinated response that we can fix and repair. This is how many teams have proven themselves during the crisis.
This crisis also revealed the true temperament of the crew: there are those who were there, regardless of whether it was their turn to take over the shift… and then there are the others.
Speak loudly and clearly…
Once the cyclical phase has passed, the structural phase will come, during which it will be necessary to carry out a thorough review. working methods to make them even more agile and collaborative. Review managerial postures to ensure that each leader is truly at the service of each member of the crew.
At the helm, it will also be a matter of reviewing His way of flying, to no longer navigate solely with annual instruments that are no longer adapted to an uncertain environment. Again, you just need to be very good at the definition and implementation of its priorities.
It is this new vision of the helm and the command line that we propose to share with you in our upcoming articles, to ensure that you leave… and quickly!
