12 weeks ago, many of our customers sent all their employees to the home office on an ad hoc basis. The shock was great. Nevertheless, it quickly became clear that business was continuing well. For 2-3 weeks, companies have been "open" again for 25% of their employees.
In the beginning, the federal government regulated us with many specifications to prevent the worst from happening. We had to come to terms with being restricted in our freedom of choice.
Now, at the latest, we are all aware that we have made a good start in Germany, but that the end and, above all, the way there is not yet in sight. We need to find a good compromise between the health, economic and social risks, not only in Germany but internationally.
Take strategic leadership of your virtual teams! At 3k, we thought it was mostly about technology & rules of the game (Slack, MS Teams, Zoom, Skype - doesn't matter what you use) when we implemented our coaching program "Jump Start - Virtual Leadership".
Gratitude, empathy, caring and praise have been a core theme of good bosses over the past 4 weeks. By addressing them directly in video conferences and through personal emails, many managers have kept their team together with positive feedback.
Currently, it happens to me in almost every one of my transformation workshops: the "tough guys (and gals)" question their paradigms. Is home office possible? How much financial business information do I share with my team? Is it possible to have a top job with only 80% working hours...?
The ECB is giving clear signals: interest rates are not turning. The banks' business model is losing money at an unprecedented rate. Many of our customers, very successful bank executives, are -justifiably- worried about their long-term business model.
If there's one thing I regret as an entrepreneur, it's the "worries" I've had over the last 10-15 years. It turned out differently anyway and turned out well. What exactly have all these concerns & considerations brought me?
Whether it's a DAX executive team or a start-up founder, there is a secret to successful team building: the "emotional pact" with each other must be positively renewed by all members of the team. Sounds like "fuss". But it is really hard.