Embrace kindness to be fit to thrive
It’s a fascinating time to be leading a business. What stands out to me is that 2020 has been an opportunity to lead with kindness, and that is imperative in any organisation. It’s how I’ve navigated my way through this extreme Covid-19 situation.
I talked about what it means to be a business leader during Covid-19 times recently on the Inside Silverstone Podcast:
My first priority was to stabilise the business. We saw our income drop by 95% but, by looking to the future in the near term (normally, we are looking 3-5 years ahead), and focusing on team wellbeing, remembering to be kind to each other and remembering our purpose, at Novacroft we’ve continued to connect authentically as team members. To work effectively as a team, we must understand each other and recognise individual challenges – this becomes even more important when working remotely. I’m proud that we’ve adapted to our new normal, moved at pace and, as a result, we’ve actually grown.
A core part of our mission to helping society thrive is the #CharityForum, a movement which I founded in 2019. It is a group of amazing minds from across the charity sector, set up to shine a light on future opportunities, overcome challenges and to navigate towards growth. The charity sector is the backbone of society, yet the opportunities and perils that the Fourth Industrial Revolution will bring over the next decade puts this sector at risk. A more immediate threat is Covid-19 and its impact on charities and their beneficiaries.
Although we’ve had to adapt the way we collaborate, with the #CharityForum ‘gang’, we’ve continued to work to inspire change, and have looked closely at strategies to move at pace to thrive post Covid-19. Our new film tells that story.
It’s imperative to society that charities survive, and the #CharityForum has continued to impact that during an incredibly challenging time.
Now, Novacroft is thriving. Those foundations we laid early on have led to exceptional performance within the team, growth, and meaningful impact. All in very difficult times.
Being lean enough to pivot our thinking in response to change has stood us in good stead.
Every catastrophe brings with it an opportunity.
Watch the film: