Change through Corona tools and coaching and for the crisis

Posted on January 26, 2021 by Christopher Spalek, One of Thousands of Performance Coaches on Noomii.

I recently had a conversation with my son about the changes this new virus brought to our world. At that time – it was the year 2020 – he was still a small boy. Today, in 2030, he is 15 years old and has a homework to write a paper on “strategies for dealing with change” for his online school.
Even with the Corona crisis more than 10 years in the past, I can still remember it very well: I was in China on a business trip, when the whole thing start-ed. My wife had trouble leaving the country, and we were happy when everyone was finally back home. But then the chaos in the world was really starting: millions of infections in the first wave and hundreds of thousands of deaths. Sometime later the second wave crossed the globe. At some point the virus mutated and the vaccine production became more difficult. Today most people are vaccinated, and traveling is almost impossible without a proper proof of it.
The virus and the fight against the pandemic have brought about many changes. The way how we deal with each other within society, how we use technology, and in politics, too. Healthcare is seen differently and the whole industry was shaken up. I told my son how many companies went bankrupt in the following years. Those who stuck to their old structures and ways of thinking were hit hardest. Whole markets collapsed overnight, and government debt increased dramatically. Then the inflation start-ed. After countless employees were fired in a first step, many companies were then unable to start again with the “new normal” or to ad-just sustainably to the changes that had occurred. It was a really tough time.
Of course, my son was concerned with what the successful organizations were doing and what the others were missing. I explained to him that several companies even benefited from the crisis: IT, online business, logistics and others; the marked demands increased here. Others, however, had to reinvent themselves completely. While many companies were considering how to successfully establish re-mote work in response to the pandemic – something that has been taken for granted for many years now – the really big question was : how everyone can best contribute their strengths in the completely changed environment.
“So, there were two major areas for successful changes through the crisis?”
“Yes, that’s right,” I said. “On the one hand, there was the establishment of effective management structures in a remote work environment – something that is part of the foundations of every successful company today. And there was above all the reorientation in the changed context. The fundamentals of effective leadership did not change before and after the crisis, but it was necessary to further develop and adapt it to the changed situation. People are social beings, they need interaction and feed-back. Companies that simply held weekly online meetings were not able to cope with this human need. They missed opportunities. A regular check-in and the introduction of informal meetings such as the “virtual coffee” or the “virtual lunch” helped to maintain the interaction and promoted creativity.

When I managed my team, which was spread across several countries, we had not only one weekly “in-formal coffee” to, but also a daily check-in via Skype and of course a weekly remote “one-on-one”. The online tools allowed a kind of virtual open-door-policy and provided – when properly used – a great exchange of information. This enabled us to work together very effectively, even without being physically in the same place.”
“But why was it so difficult for so many managers to adjust their structures?”
“Well,” I replied, "the crisis showed like through a magnifying glass, problems which existed already in advance. Many deficits were made up by the personal relationships between the employees. With the imposed home office and the corresponding physical contact restrictions, shortcomings such as a lack of a healthy feedback culture and the missing of an open discussion atmosphere became apparent. The choice of tools for setting up and developing digital communication (e.g. Skype, Zoom, Teams, WebEx etc.) was not relevant. The only important thing was that one started establishing the needed exchange by using online tools. A “formal communication plan” also helped many companies
“You said the more important challenge was reorienting and adapting to the changed situation – why?”
Here, neuroscience has provided us with a lot of knowledge: The need to leave your personal com-fort zone is fundamentally difficult for most people, even when the external environment does not change. But leaving the comfort zone is the only way we can learn and develop. “Comfort zone?” Asked my son. “The area of thinking and living in which we have our processes under control, where we feel comfortable, where we don’t feel risks. However, change and learning new skills and abilities always takes place outside the comfort zone. Our brain prefers simple structures and easy answers. Many studies have shown that the energy we need to make decisions during a day is limited. Now, in the Corona crisis, we were forced to make significantly more decisions and in a shorter time. In addition, existing uncertainty and even fears have a direct impact on people’s ability to do this. Decisions are getting worse and we also have less energy to make the decisions at all.”

“Then how did the managers make decisions?”
I had to smile when he said that. Because often there were no decisions at all. Managers were unsure or afraid – sometimes due to the feeling of vulnerability and let things just happen. Or they chose an almost ancient standard method of reducing costs by firing large numbers of employees and terminating contracts. This looked more like of panic and actionism rather than well-considered decisions. From a neuroscie point of view, this approach was absolutely understandable.
“Then what were the successful concepts?” Asked my son.
“There were very different approaches. Several companies brought in external consultants; others tried to solve their problems themselves. Only there were no proper tested answers with practical solutions since nobody went through such a situation before. I cannot tell you on what basis some highly paid consultants made their recommendations. In any case, it was always important to be make your-self aware of existing options, and then to identify the most suitable ones and for sure to implement them actively and thoroughly. Tools to support this decisions are for example the Eisenhower Matrix or GTD-(Getting Things Done) approaches, and also elements from the “agile toolbox” helped very well here.

However, one factor should not be overlooked here: The decision-makers were often alone in the selection and implementation of adequate options. They had seldom had anyone with whom they can dis-cuss the solutions. If they talked with somebody from their company or family; the involved parties have often their own interests. It is difficult to find neutrality and a safe space to come up with and play through options. Bosses are usually expected to deliver results and have all the answers. Many have had good experiences with professional business coaches in such a context.”
“But how can a business coach help?”
“The coach has a special role because he is not connected to his client’s company, nor does he sell a particular strategy or special product. The sole job of a coach is to support his client in his agenda and to ensure that he reaches his goals as effectively as possible. This neutrality is an advantage over consultants, colleagues or even your own family. The coach provides confidentiality and is trained and experienced to supports the process with special (so called powerful) questions, reflections, feedback, or brainstorming. In particular, a coach holds his clients accountable and helps them to live up to their goals. Together they create action plans, check-ins, agreements and follow-ups. Almost all top managers today use personal coaches, who are often even foreign to the business. During and after the Corona crisis I worked as a coach for company leaders, directors, and other managers, but also with specialists in occupational health and safety, environmental protection, and other areas. I supported them on their way and helped them to achieve their goals."

“And what do those who don’t find or have a suitable coach do to adapt to the new situation?”
“One effective tool that I use with my clients – which you can also use without a coach – is the well-established SWOT matrix. In four quadrants you describe your own strengths and weaknesses. And the opportunities and threats from the market or the environment. Now you can put your own strengths into this context and see what new possibilities arise. If done well it supports a thinking “outside of the box”.
In addition, I also use a so-called “business wheel” to analyze the current situation, derive measures and track improvements. I remember well the coaching sessions with my clients these days, which were mostly about adapting to the changes following the Corona crisis. One client used a metaphor to describe his situation: He felt like a carpenter, who no longer had wood to work with due to the impacts of Corona. The use of metaphors is often done during coaching session because it helps many clients to analyze their current situation and goals further. In this metaphor he had no longer any wood available, but still he had his competencies and knowledge about materials and their processing. Now we translated this to the new situation. How could searching for new materials to which he can apply his knowledge and competencies look like?
One client organized training on communication and safety interventions very successfully. All his training sessions took place face to face on the customer site. Now this “material” was gone, and we used the metaphor from before to search for a new material. As part of the coaching, he developed a new plan for how he could transfer his business online and how to interact with videoconferencing and other tools. His knowledge of communication and adult education was unbeatable, so he not only found a way to conduct his own business online, but also, he found a new niche addressing effective virtual and online communication excellence.

A third company had fewer orders due to the crisis and invested the now available time into the further development of skills within its workforce. For the owner it was clear, that after the crisis highly qualified employees with new expertise would be needed again. A SWOT analysis, which was carried out by a committee from different company areas, created the basis to identify suitable topics for relevant training. This was especially addressing the anticipated changes of what was called the “new normal”. This company is the innovation leader in its industry to-day and my son could hardly imagine his leisure time without its products.
All of this was not completely new: Toyota had already lived the “Toyota Way” before the new millennium. In a crisis about alleged vehicle errors and a corresponding breakdown in sales, Toyota decided to invest into people rather than to conduct mass layoffs. The company continued to make targeted investments in coaching for specialists and managers – all of it was in line with the company’s values. When the market recovered, Toyota was in an excellent position and became market leader.
“But doesn’t the last example also show that all these methods and techniques are nothing more than old wine in new skins?”
Now I really had to laugh out loud! Where did my son get this ancient metaphor from in 2030? “You’re not entirely wrong!” I replied. “After all, we humans have not changed significantly in terms of evolutionary biology in the past tens of thousands of years. Our actions are still much more shaped by emotions and feelings than we sometimes want to allow ourselves. And we all still make mistakes, but hopefully we will learn something from them. This shows even more how important feedback, openness, transparency, willingness to cooperate and other values are for our development. Let’s talk about it next time! Now I’m really looking forward to your paper … "