Here is round-up of what we’ve been reading on What’s Changing and What’s New, and Resources to help you lead and respond to change better and faster in the face of COVID-19 aka coronavirus.

This round-up includes:

• Reflecting on what it means to lead and respond to change
• How we want to support you now
• Recommended resources to help you lead and respond better and faster

A Reflection on what it means to lead and respond to change…

The COVID-19 pandemic is fast changing the trajectory of business as usual. Forcing us to rethink the way we work, learn, leverage technology, and reimagining social interaction.

The pandemic is a grim and sudden reminder that we live in fast changing times, where one minute things may seem certain, and the next minute we are faced with great uncertainty. A reminder of how we need to prepare to lead and respond to the unexpected.

It is also a reminder that we live in unprecedented times where change is the only known constant, and the speed of change is getting faster and faster by the second. Our personal and organizational change leadership is being tested.

What is interesting about the “sudden” outbreak that has us in North America seemingly scrambling to respond as best as possible, is that the first global case occurred in December 2019. Some may say we’ve had almost three months to prepare and respond, but for many of us, myself included, it felt far removed. China seemed far off from Canada. However, the reality and the impact is now being felt by all; loss of lives, temporarily closed public places and businesses, livelihoods have been hard hit, and much more.

The impact is way beyond the stats we see shared. The ripple effect and impact on our emotional, mental, social, financial, physical and economic health is very real.

The “slowness” to act and seemingly “sudden” awareness of the change we are currently facing reminds me of some of the other changes i.e. AI, 4iR etc. that are slowly but quickly happening around us and our organizations, where we will feel far removed from the changes until we are impacted by it, and by then it may be too late to respond.

Each day as I listen to the news, and work with my team to lead and navigate through these changes, it reminds me of our why and ethos at The Change Leadership;  which is to help professionals, leaders and organizations lead and respond to change better and faster in today’s fast-paced and disruptive business environment. You can learn more about our who, what and why here.

How we want to support you now

As we explore what this means for our community and events, and the best way to navigate through this change, we also want to effectively support you as a change leader. A couple of ways we intend to do this is:

1. Continue to share carefully curated content to help you lead and drive change in your personal and professional lives as change leaders.
2. Launching our Online Change Leadership Conversations in April. Where we will be speaking with industry leaders and knowledge experts on Leading and Navigating Change in Today’s Volatile and Fast-Paced Business Environment.

We want to assure you that we will do our best to support you and our community with the change leadership resources we create and find. With your help, together we will ride this tide and beyond!

Recommended resources to help you lead and respond better and faster

As we all grapple with the containment, solutions and impact of the coronavirus, please find below resources to help you respond to the changes around you better and faster.

Well Being

• Mental Health Tips for the COVID-19 Outbreak
• Yale’s most popular class ever is available free online — and the topic is how to be happier in your daily life
• Self-care Apps for Remote Work
• 5 ways to keep your mental health in check during the coronavirus pandemic
• Resilience Is About How You Recharge, Not How You Endure
• How Social Distancing Triggers Disordered Eating, According To Eating Disorder Experts
• C. S. Lewis on the Coronavirus

What will Post COVID-19 Look Like?

• We’re not going back to normal
• 48 – The Post Corona World
• The pandemic is fast-tracking the adoption of smarter, stronger A.I.
• Seth Godin on Tribes, Leadership in Crisis, and Running the Perfect Zoom Meeting

Thought Leadership on Leading Change

• Decision making in uncertain times
• How The Coronavirus Pandemic Is Accelerating The Future Of Work
• “Scary Times” Success Manual: How To Be A Leader When Times Get Tough
• Are You Leading Through the Crisis … or Managing the Response?
• 7 Leadership Fundamentals For Surviving Coronavirus
• The next outbreak? We’re not ready – Bill Gates

Supporting You and Your Team

• Virtual Workplace Resources – Preparing your business to manage change during the  COVID-19 crisis
• Video Conferencing Software Options During COVID-19
• Here Are The Top Five Leadership Challenges During The Coronavirus Pandemic
• 10 Ways To Make Everyone On Your Remote Team Feel Connected
• COVID-19: Practical workforce strategies that put your people first
• In disruptive times, the power comes from people

Professional Growth and Development

• I’m Not a Senior Manager, What Can I Do in Times of Chaos?
• Building Change Resiliency and Managing the Impact of Change
• 450 Ivy League courses you can take online right now for free
• 5 tips for working from home

We will update the above list with additional resources on an ongoing basis. 

If you would like to receive updates on What’s Changing and What’s New directly to your inbox, be sure to join our mailing list. http://bit.ly/JoinTCList

Yvonne Ruke Akpoveta

Yvonne is a Change Management Strategist, Change Leadership Advocate, and Founder of The Change Leadership. With more than two decades of experience working with organizations to lead change, develop practical change leadership skills, and build real change capability beyond frameworks and performative transformation, Yvonne works with professionals, teams, and organizations globally to help them lead change with confidence in the face of continuous disruption. Connect with her on LinkedIn.