During the first installment of this two-part chat with Sylvia Henderson, futurist Joyce Giola illustrated how mental modeling and scenario planning form the backbone of her work. Looking through the lens of the COVID crisis, the speaker and corporate consultant explored the ways successful businesses navigate times of uncertainty. In the compelling conclusion to this conversation, Giola underscores the importance of investing in an organization’s talent.

0:28 Holistic Healing

In the wake of the many grand reexaminations characteristic of our times, Joyce Giola highlights the essential nature of ensuring their team members are equipped for change. Along with facilitating regular virtual group meetings, she implores organizational leaders to reach out to their employees one by one. A personal interest in your team member as a person has never been more important, as this moment provides a platform to assess all aspects of an individual path in life. This makes now the right time to reward those focused on creating a shared future.

2:28 Recognizing Reality

A viable recovery from this ongoing crisis will require a sober look at the circumstances that surround us. Giola forms the foundation of her action plan on a number of reasonable assumptions, including the adequacy of current public health measures as well as the psychological comfort of team members. Only when these things in place can a full return to normalcy begin. Looking into the near-term future, Giola projects more spaced-out office settings as well as staggered shifts to bring maximum typical office capacity down.

4:24 A Dose of Truth

Taking a sober view of the national recovery initiative, the futurist points to a few impossible to ignore factors. Businesses that are predicated on heavily trafficked indoor spaces, such as bars, restaurants, and hotels, will see significant logistical issues in returning to their pre-pandemic revenue levels. Other businesses that will be severely impacted over the coming months are those whose business model is predicated on entry-level employee compensation. This means that those organizations that work to make themselves actively attractive to talent will thrive.

5:48 Not Sharing is Caring

For better and for worse, the gig economy is one of the pillars of life in the United States. Giola forecasts a significant slowdown in the business of sharing-based services such as rental cars, livery services, and instant hotels. She points to the added overhead that public health awareness brings to business owners in these industries, such as cleaning supplies as well as added packaging. She also questions whether consumers will be willing to shoulder the increased expenses involved with keeping shared public items sanitary for constant use.

7:13

No matter whether your company has two employees or two million, it will have to devise new answers to new questions. Giola advises organizational leadership to arm themselves with knowledge in these uncertain times. Her Herman Trend Alert delivers a wealth of keen insights on the direction of commerce, giving team leaders a powerful resource for contributing to a future compatible with enduring success. With one eye on employee engagement, and the other on sustainable development, we can gain and maintain a clear view of tomorrow’s victories.

Connect with Joyce Gioia:

Website: https://www.hermangroup.com/joyce_bio.html

Twitter: https://twitter.com/joycegioia?lang=en