Rethinking: Culture, Skills, Values and Talent during a pandemic- Part 3

This is the last blog post of a 3-part series that looks into how to kick start recoverability during the current pandemic.

In the first blog, I explained the use of basic tools/ techniques that could be deployed by employees quickly to rethink their businesses ways of working. Click here. In the second blog, the need for a lean organisation, by looking at the next-generation target operating model to create dynamic teams that are agile to be able to respond to new emerging and challenging opportunities. Click here.

In this article, I will look at several ingredients that make a good workforce.

Culture ¹:

Without sounding cliché, empowering employees together with a flexible culture can help nurture and unleash creativity and drive. Businesses should reflect and consider, post-covid 19, how they can do this. Don’t get me wrong, most companies already do this, but with the pandemic here to stay for a while, positive reinforcement of this can bring about some great results. But why stop there? This sort of culture should surely continue way past the current crisis, by investing in leadership that powers and develops people.

As a lean-agile practitioner, this would be more about playing the role of a visionary, architect and coach and less so of a controller or a director- where it is more about processes and accountability, with some elements of freedom. Embedding agile practices into an organisation to benefit culture and processes is a sure way of firming up that business leaders are serious about making the right change, by reflecting on what lessons have been learned during the pandemic and to think hard about what practices they want to keep.

Skills ¹:

Sounds obvious, but what skills have you as a leader identified that will help sure up the recovery of your business's/ area operating model? For instance, a client I know is moving away from on-site/ sales in stores to home delivery. Asking me, how can his warehousing and logistics and the IT team do to help? Well, by moving away from the old into the new strategy to help, which may also require additional training or bringing in external expertise, I replied.

The reallocation of FTEs to drive the business's value proposition in the new future target operating model will require upskilling and investment. This is also echoed by Boris Johnson, who recently announced new lifetime skills guarantee that will help support adults across the country (UK) to make lifelong learning a reality - opening doors for more people to realise their talents, develop new skills and get better jobs. CBI Director General-Dame Carolyn Fairbairn also commented:

"The right skills strategy can help every worker to progress their careers, drive up living standards and level-up this country, but a failure to act will leave businesses facing skills shortages and workers facing long-term unemployment. We are at a fork in the road that requires urgent and decisive action".

As a consultant and founder of my own business, I have added to my stock of skills by building up a toolkit of no-regret skills, i.e., lean sigma/ agile methods and techniques of working as a finance professional. Through this, I have further built upon my skills covering digital, higher cognitive, social and emotional, adaptability and resilience. Moreover, through self-help and training, it is important to bridge those (sought after) critical gaps by evolving and applying key skills to disruptive challenging conditions in the future. Perhaps my ability to move fast and evolve is easier is because I am a small company where I can make such bold moves, rather than skirt around a group of people to try something new. As a chartered accountant of habit, I am a cautious creature too, but yet take precise and calculated moves, rather than let’s wait and see.

So, to cut to the chase, look at what you have now, as is, as a skill set, think about where you want to go, the to be situation and then “seek to bridge the gap”- a Chinese martial arts terminology, used in Chum Kiu application.

Values ¹:

I’ve heard of stories of staff/ employees going out on a limb to work during the pandemic. What makes it then quite upsetting is that business leaders do not: take time to celebrate and uphold what the company stand for and provide examples of how their employees demonstrated that; lack of recognition to honour the employee’s efforts; and not keeping in touch with employees who have lost their job or have been furloughed.

To add insult to injury, these very companies then go out on a new recruitment spree after cutting headcount, because operations are now returning to normality. Why? Look don’t pull the wool over my eyes… to me, this illustrates just how much business leaders value you as an employee, not the company, there is a difference. Values are what people make it, I’ve worked for truly fantastic companies, but there will be leaders who just don't cut the mark.

Anyway, to put a positive spin on things…surely there is a better way…. You bet there is!

Firstly, business leaders can better use this pandemic moment to demonstrate a sense of purpose to support employees in a time of need, by showing their right values. I’d like to think, a good way forward would be to link how the purpose of the business fits into the new strategic direction via articulating in plain speak, the businesses change story. Committing or recommitting to the health of employees and showcasing stories about front line people, the unsung heroes- past and present.

Remember it’s the people who make the difference. Without getting philosophical, ethics and values alas are sometimes forgotten, where there is gluttony for something desirable at a cost to other things. To show our values, yes, our values, business leaders a simple chit chat even over a cup of tea just to say thank you and/ or job well done to the workers, really does morale some good… especially when things are in up in the air. Food for thought… for those sitting in their ivory towers- sorry to be blunt, so go and Gemba (a lean technique).

Talent ¹:

“Luck is a chance to sell yourself.

After that, you need to have talent to really survive.” ²

During the pandemic, deploying employees where they are needed the most or more correctly put redistributing the workforce according to the skills gap to meet its objectives are dominating senior leadership team meetings. This rightly or wrongly facilitates the need to attribute a value to the talent required for pursuing BAU, improvement, or growth opportunities. These roles that are sought after, can be used for either risk mitigation, to create value or enable value.

To begin, using a basic talent matrix like the one below can help evaluate talent in the workplace.

To add a twist the above matrix into something potentially more useful, keeping with the theme of pandemic recoverability, with further foresight the above matrix can be further summarised/ compartmentalised into the following talent influence and value matrix below.

This can be tricky and often boils down to the business leader's perception of what influence and value mean and which ones should be put into the appropriate buckets.

Do not think for a minute that value is free, it comes with a cost, but as long as the expected value exceeds the proposed cost enablers (training, investment, hiring external help/ consultants ³), then the value is assured- simple enough? Value can be created depending on how motivated leaders are in getting there and what they are prepared to do.

As a cautious creature, calculated risk-taking, rather than inaction, wait and see where the pandemic take us and even the woes of Brexit, hinders progress. It’s rather like Dr Dolittle’s encounter with the pushmi-pullyu ("push-me-pull-you") lama, where business leaders need to both push and pull (a lean and agile technique ³) whilst faced with headwinds and/ or tailwinds.

To summarise this 3-part-series of recoverability during the pandemic, there are various analogies for life… words of wisdom, perhaps? One such analogy is the idea of forward energy (Ch'i or qi - 氣) that I embrace as a Chinese Martial Arts Practitioner as an interest and hobby. You may think what has this got to do with the theme of recoverability?

Well, let the enlightened, perhaps enlighten you… the concept of ‘forward energy’ from Wing Chun Kung-fu can be applied (to a scenario) where we should be light enough to ‘stick’ to a force (what force, I leave for you to figure out) but not too light to lose ‘touch’. When the way is free, you move forward. This constant forward energy is practised by those who understand and live it- the enlightened! If you agree that it is important to let your life move forward, a forward analogy should make sense? We all like to progress and to have forward energy in one’s life is important. With forward energy, we leave behind the bad times and savour the good times as fond memories and even triumphs. To stand still leads to stagnation (a moving target is difficult enough, but one that is coming right at you is worse and even deadly). Learning more, improving more, having more positive experiences, becoming a better person can only happen if we all have that forward energy.

So, business leaders… I ask you, what’s stopping you from moving forward? These 'little ideas' (小念頭 - a Chinese martial arts term for mind/intent) presented in this 3 part-series could be your ticket for success...

Keep safe and well.

Dee Singh Kothari is a senior partner in Kothari Partners

¹ Ideas expressed in this article are solely of the authors. The author nor Kothari Partner’s accept any liability for the incorrect application of these ideas either used by companies, employees or other individuals alike.

² Quote by Frank Sinatra (1915 - 1998), changed/ abbreviated to confer the same meaning.

³ At Kothari Partners, we have worked with various UK and overseas listed and PE-backed clients across various industries to consider how their business and finance services can bring them both cost reductions and performance improvement. Our approach is to help our clients understand their current situation, identify the value and decide on the scope, vision and set of strategies for what they could achieve for their business. We help plan their implementation and support them and deliver the solution/ change needed, so it is properly and permanently embedded in their organisation. We aim to help past and future clients by delivering high-quality work to their organisation, generate real efficiencies and free up time to support better business decisions.

For a confidential discussion please free to contact us, via our corporate website, contact form: https://dipakagkothari.wixsite.com/website