As everyone adjusts to the new normal of remote living, working, and learning, it’s easy to make observations on the differences we are experiencing between today and what was before the pandemic.  As we trudge through the fourth week of the quarantine and all of our business interactions are through a video conferencing platform, one of the many observations I’ve had is how people show up in ZOOM and how that style equates to their DiSC style.

Every day during the war on the Coronavirus business leaders around the world who are working in this evolved and disrupted world are presented with new challenges and new opportunities when executing their business strategies.

During the past few days, I’ve had the unique opportunity of spending quality time with leaders of business and past participants of our leadership learning journeys to catch up on their lives and reconnecting in ways that I didn’t think were possible. We talked about many things related to the new remote workplace and there was one interesting and powerful theme in almost every conversation; there is a new culture growing and the smart leaders are creating, nurturing and developing it. What’s most interesting is that this new culture is different from anything anyone has experienced before. It’s more human, and it’s more focused on work and productivity.

Most of the United States is starting our third full week of working and living completely remote from our work colleagues and partners. The routines are getting a little easier, the technologies are getting a little friendlier, and people we are working with seem genuinely more engaged and attentive to things that are priorities.

In the new GROW Coaching business simulation that I wrote and released a few months ago, there is a character named Chris who worked in headquarters and opted to take a remote job to expand her capabilities and advance her career. Knowing that she would be remote for the first time in her career, the simulation sets up several scenarios where the participant learning about coaching by taking the role of Chris’ Manager must give Chris some feedback and coaching to get her more comfortable and productive in her role after she has settled in.

Lessons from the Past Five Years

In the fall of 2015, I made a strategic decision that shocked our Senior Leadership Team and stunned many of our clients who rely on us for world-class, award-winning simulation-centric learning.  I shared with the team that within 5 years I believed that more than 50% of our Talent Development business would be virtual so I wanted to shift the development of all platforms, content, and simulation products to be delivered virtually by the start of 2020. There were two primary data points driving my decision:

• Cost - the cost of flying and lodging participants for a 2-day training event was more expensive than the training itself
• Time - the time participants spent traveling and being away from their jobs had become too costly physically, emotionally, and financially

As part of our strategy to disrupt our own business, we set off on a mission to build a blueprint for what a virtual learning experience, using a simulation-centric approach, should feel like through the eyes of a participant who will integrate learning into the balance of the workweek. The terrible global healthcare pandemic of 2020 is accelerating our plans and gives us an opportunity to share some of our learning and experience over the past five years.

A Business Acumen Perspective