Management Perspectives

COVID-19 has invariably shaped a new buying paradigm, but businesses have umpteen ways to leverage it. What are the changes in consumer behaviour and how brands and retailers can help to provide specialised services?

In the wake of the COVID pandemic, people are unsure about the economic situation, employment scenario, and earnings. Long-term planning is passé. Companies need to periodically reassess the business environment and explore ways to rebuild consumer confidence, especially during difficult times.

Even once the threat of COVID has passed, it seems unlikely that offices will return to the pre-pandemic stage. Since, we now know that virtual working works on a large scale, instead of trying to return to the old normal, it makes sense for smart managers to tap into the mix of hybrid working situations to come up with the best for the organisation and the individuals who work in it.

Empathetic leadership is not for the fainthearted. It is always-on, it may be costly in terms of time, and it needs to be trained. But when all is said and done, it is a choice we absolutely need more leaders to make.

Cultivating emotional resilience is a leader’s number one job in these disruptive times. A leader’s ability to cultivate emotional resilience in oneself and others is to be a hope merchant.

Those with emotional resilience at the core of their management philosophy will emerge as resourceful leaders when the going gets tough. Good leaders that use emotional resilience consistently at the core of their management philosophy demonstrate adequate dynamism when crisis arrives.

Workplaces across the globe are undergoing transformation at breakneck speeds; and while digital acceleration continues to take place, leaders need to simultaneously prepare for imminent change in the context of employee productivity, employee engagement, rewards and recognition programmes, and overall organisational well-being.

Every human being has many different layers. The deeper you are able to go, the better you will understand yourself. This is also called ‘emotional resilience’. The more resilient you are, the better prepared you will be to handle challenges.