As we start to draw the curtains on what has been one of the most challenging years in memory, I would like to say a big thank you and share some learnings. I am a glass half-full type of guy, so I’ve been reflecting on what I have learned over the past eight months. COVID-19 has stretched me in many ways, but one of my mentors always says that “a mind stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions”.
Here are three key things I have learnt over this time:
- The delivery of online productivity training is not only possible, but also effective and enjoyable. I was always sceptical about the ability to deliver Smart Work or Smart Teams online in a way that still created real behavioural change. I now know online delivery can deliver tremendous value and believe this option will remain a core component of our delivery mix, even after COVID-19 is just a memory.
- Most people want to do great work and can be trusted to deliver on their outcomes as well, if not better, working from home. I see some workplaces going back to a fully onsite workforce when things settle down, but I believe most will move to a hybrid working solution. How to do this effectively will be one of our key challenges to solve in the coming years. Bring it on, I am up for that challenge!
- Like it or not, technology is becoming more and more necessary to our productivity. Not just our laptops and phones. Not just MS Outlook or OneNote. I also passionately believe that the suite of collaboration tools we have at our fingertips will be the key to collaborating productively, whether online or onsite. So, if you have access to tools like Office 365, MS Teams and MS Planner, you need to not only get up to speed on how to use them, but also become best practice in how to leverage them for group productivity.
2021 is going to be an interesting year for all of us. Thank you for your support in 2020, and I look forward to sharing the journey with you in the year ahead.
Happy holidays!