Getting There Eventually: Finding Equilibrium in Uncertain Times (Part 2 – Resilience Is the North Star)

This issue of The Bulletin is the second of our two-part discussion of the challenge in finding equilibrium in these uncertain times. In Part 1, we discussed the attributes and actions needed to find equilibrium in the likely phased transition from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown.^[1] Given that a period of ongoing change will follow the lockdown, equilibrium means achieving the organization’s full potential during each phase of the transition and leveraging its core strengths to be resilient now, soon and next, and eventually.

Every organization must be authentic to be truly successful. The attributes of inspired leadership and an empowering culture, effective employee engagement, insightful scenario analysis, superior performing ecosystem relationships, and a commitment to disruptive innovation can sustain and even accelerate momentum moving forward.

There is no road map for what is about to happen soon or next, but each iteration requiring a search for equilibrium results from changes in market and individual behavior, as well as adjustments in business processes to address those changes. That is why resiliency is the North Star that will guide the most successful companies forward. 

Organizations need to recognize and make every effort to anticipate the emerging risks and opportunities even as familiar daily business activities are modified to accommodate the crisis and its aftermath. As this crisis subsides (and it will), many of these outcomes are the toothpaste that can’t be pushed back into the tube, and managing them as they evolve will influence the organization’s positioning in the market rebound. As there is no predictive utopian model for how aspects of market, customer and consumer behaviors will shake out, organizations must prepare themselves to be agile and adaptive. 

The organizations most likely to succeed in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic will have leveraged their strengths and acted with intention to find equilibrium amid the seismic changes in several key areas. Eight such areas are discussed below, along with the related risks and opportunities, and illustrative questions and points of focus.