“If you can see your path clearly in front of you, it is probably someone else’s”
This is one of my favourite quotes by Joseph Campbell. It helps turns the terror of uncertainty into a game of adventure. And I find this statement so true in our current situation.
As we all prepare for the Post-COVID world, or the COVID world , which is totally unfamiliar, totally uncertain, we might want to look at new ways, new paths that are our own to deal with it.
The good news is that the best step won’t win, as there might be none. The first step probably will.
There is no perfect path, only a path that each organisation will create as they walk. The question then is no longer “Which is the best path?” but “Which is the path worth walking and exploring?”
And no matter which path business leaders take, they need to know the people who will go along, how they really work, which are the pot-holes to watch out for. And most importantly, we need to know the pathways that used to connect us, still connect us, though mostly invisible. Though the formal hierarchy in every organisation looks neat and clean, every business leader knows that the way work really gets done can look like a maze
Embarking on a new path then needs fast and accurate answers to macro and micro questions:
Macro questions:
- Dependency: Which of our functions are too centralized, producing dependency risks?
- Wellness: Which functions have the most people at risk of burnout?
- Silos: Which functions have the most disconnected employees and silos?
- Dependency: How do our functions interact with each other? Are the relationships too imbalanced?
Organisational Network Analysis(ONA) tools like Orglens can help you get quick answers to these questions.
Once these macro questions are answered, it is time to get into action.
Mobilizing people is a function of ideas, knowledge, energy and in times of uncertainty – trust. And thing is – the people who bring knowledge, suggest innovative ideas, bring energy and inspire trust are not necessarily the same. Nor are they always in leadership positions. Identifying them becomes paramount, no matter which path you choose.
Orglens helps you identify:
- Innovators: To bring creative ideas during uncertain times
- Experts: To bring in the knowledge to choose the best path
- Energisers: To provide energy boost and morale, no matter which path is chosen
- Trust-anchors: To inspire trust when walking down untrodden paths.
If you are about to embark in unchartered territory in the Post-COVID world, and are keen to use new ways and means to make the best out of it, do contact us to know how Orglens can help, like we have helped many other clients.
Because even Joseph Campbell would agree that while creating your own path is an adventure, it does not hurt to be prepared!