5 Strategy Questions to Ask Ourselves Right Now
COVID has certainly upended our lives. There are so many constraints that we have to solve for or work around. I think of learning teams everywhere dealing with the impact — hosting countless training sessions, developing and deploying new procedures, working to troubleshoot issues, and then developing even more training.
When something turns our world upside down, the tendency is to put our strategy on the back burner because it feels like it no longer makes sense. But the longer we operate without a big-picture vision to guide us, the more reactive and tunnel-visioned we will get.
We do have one advantage right now — the only one that I can see — and that is the new level of clarity we’re experiencing. We’re seeing what’s a priority and what’s not. We’re understanding what our own needs are and what’s most critical to our organization’s survival. We’re learning how to adapt and improve our processes to meet the changing needs.
If we intentionally incorporate our newfound insights into our strategy, we will have a stronger foundation for the future work we do. This week I hope you will join me and spend some time reflecting and resetting. Here are some questions to get the ball rolling.
What are our must-have learning priorities that keep the lights on?
These are the most essential learning experiences that will be maintained in order to keep your organization running. Be selective — everything can’t make the cut, even if previously we would have insisted it was essential. Think about what is realistic in terms of time and resources and use that to guide your decision-making. What is your plan to attend to these learning experiences at a minimum?
What changes have we made to our processes? Are there changes we still need to make?
Articulate any process changes you have made due to resources, changing delivery strategies, new roles and responsibilities, etc. Are there additional changes you want to make to improve your efficiency and effectiveness? Now is the time to brainstorm ways to address these opportunities and create a plan.
What is our strategy for our nice-to-have learning experiences?
For your non-essential learning experiences, are there different delivery strategies you can use moving forward? Consider if there are creative low-cost solutions you can implement that will use fewer resources. It’s important to be realistic though — the essentials are the priority, and having the bandwidth to pivot quickly is important right now. Are there learning experiences you will discontinue, pause, or scale back?
What do our employees need most from us right now?
Consider what your employees’ critical needs are at this time and how you can support them. Is the content and design of your identified essential learning experiences adequate and realistic? This could be a worthwhile focus area — to ensure that the training they are receiving is supporting emotional needs as well as building knowledge and skills.
What do our learning team members need?
This is a good opportunity to pull your team together and not only get their input on these questions but also ask about their unique needs. Maybe they want to have more creative time together. Maybe they want to partner in different ways than they have previously. You won’t know unless you ask.
Let us know what insights you’re having and any questions you’re facing. We’re here to support you.