This year I planted two zucchini plants in my garden. One produced fantastic fruit. Think sautéed in Italian oil with parmesan cheese, tomato, and balsamic vinegar on top! The other plant, not so much. It produced a few fruit, and then it died. Surprisingly, there is something your organization may have in common with my zucchini plants. When this pandemic is over (and it will eventually be over), there will be a significant number of organizations no longer with us. The headlines regarding the damage and destruction are sobering, aren’t they? But when 2022 and 2023 come, just like that healthy zucchini, there will also be plenty of thriving businesses, churches, colleges, and social service agencies standing strong. What will determine which survive and thrive versus those that decline and die? While there are many factors that come into play, sometimes it is as basic as the questions leaders are asking themselves right now.
Do I know where our greatest vulnerabilities are? What are we doing to address them now, rather than waiting?
What am I doing right now that will increase our likelihood of success after the pandemic?
Am I taking the necessary risks now to be best positioned for the next 2-3 years?
What am I doing to attract and retain top talent that will be needed post pandemic?
Are the decisions I am making today going to help or hurt my organization after the pandemic?
You can be confident that there will be strong organizations standing after the pandemic has settled. But how confident are you that yours will be one of them? Most of us are not gifted in being prophetic – none of us knows for sure what the next few years will hold. But having honest discussion around these questions with your team, board, or personal coach can make the difference between organizational life or decline. Choose life!
Contact us to learn how our experienced coaches can assist you in planning for the future of your organization!
Jay Desko is the CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.
