A partner spoke about his firm’s COVID experience. He said, “historically firms are slow to implement, but COVID forced them to act quickly”. Remote working was a minor piece. A major core benefit was the virus accelerated increased contact with clients to talk about issues there never seemed to be the time to get to. The other surprise was how some managers unexpectedly stepped up. They were not asked.
They just reacted and took control. If this tragedy did not occur, would their leadership skills have emerged?
Think about your bench. Not your identified superstars, but the professional who might not be as confident about speaking up, etc. Do you have talent who just might need a little push? What really struck me was the way the Managing Partner told the story. There was joy in how he shared his story and to me, that was inspiring. He was not taking credit. He was sincerely sharing the experience of how people just excelled on their own. It makes you wonder what else is your team capable of doing if they were challenged beyond their routine.
