Leading Through the Storm: Reflections from the Frontline of the Pandemic, 3 Years On Safaraz Ali (Saf)
Leading Through the Storm: Reflections from the Frontline of the Pandemic, 3 Years On
March 2020 marked the beginning of a global pandemic that has upended the world as we knew it. For many businesses including ours this meant charting a course through uncharted waters, as they sought to protect their people and their businesses and navigate a way back to normality.
Team Pathway working from home during COVID
As the CEO of a skills and employability business, as well as a health and social care business, I felt I was on the frontline of this battle, trying to steer my social impact businesses through the crisis in a world where information was scarce, judgments were huge, and the roadmap was non-existent, yet the unique challenges required quick thinking, adaptability, and resilience.
Leading through the storm: The pandemic created a lot of uncertainty and fear, but it also forced businesses to become more agile and creative in finding solutions to the challenges they faced. I am taking this opportunity to share with you a video that I have just made public that I shared with my team at the time back in March 2020. Having just seen this again I feel it a powerful way to highlight the emotions and thoughts I experienced during the pandemic. It will also hopefully give you all an insight for us all who work in any type of leadership position during such a difficult time.
As the CEO of a skills and employability business, as well as a health and social care business, I felt I was on the frontline of this battle, trying to steer my social impact businesses through the crisis in a world where information was scarce, judgments were huge, and the roadmap was non-existent, yet the unique challenges required quick thinking, adaptability, and resilience.
Leading through the storm our health care heroes — care workers at the frontline from Nationwide Care Services
The pandemic created a lot of uncertainty and fear, but it also forced businesses to become more agile and creative in finding solutions to the challenges they faced. I am taking this opportunity to share with you a video that I have just made public that I shared with my team at the time back in March 2020. Having just seen this again I feel it a powerful way to highlight the emotions and thoughts I experienced during the pandemic. It will also hopefully give you all an insight for us all who work in any type of leadership position during such a difficult time.
Any one who was a leader at the time was put in a position where they were making decisions that affected the lives of many people namely staff members, customers, and the wider community. Therefore, when you reflect on this time yourself, I would suggest it is important to reflect on the ethical dilemmas we faced and how we all managed to navigate through them.
Our Pathway Centre in Walsall — delivering nails and beauty training courses having to shut in lockdown
I think we can all can reflect on the lessons we learnt from the pandemic and how they have changed our perspective on leadership and business. Looking back over the last three years, it’s clear that the pandemic has transformed the business landscape in ways that none of us could have predicted. But it has also taught us the importance of being prepared, adaptable, and resilient in the face of crisis. As we move forward, we must continue to prioritise the well-being of our people, to be more socially responsible, and to take a long-term view that prioritises sustainability and inclusivity. Only then can we truly ensure that we emerge from any crisis and challenge stronger, more united, and more resilient than ever before.
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