Covid-19 pandemic a wake-up call to managers on problem-solving skills

Years ago, one of my favourite authors was a man by the name René Lodge Brabazon Raymond, who was well known by his pseudonym James Hadley Chase.

His novels were exciting and it was always difficult to put them down once you opened the first page. They were stories of intrigue, wealth and power and a true dreamer’s handbook. Nothing best describes the world of so many around the world today like the title of one of the James Hadley Chase novels — The way the cookie crumbles.

We are at war friends. As such we cannot rely on the thinking of the past because no war is the same. Every war must be embarked upon based on its own unique circumstances. Covid-19 is a unique war. This is why you need to expand your thinking like you have never done. It is a compelling temptation to always look back at precedents to determine actions that will affect the future. Unless we expect the future to be a replica of the past, experience must not be given a centre stage in our decision making. It is easier and it does have its place but we must never become slaves to it, we need to develop the boldness to enter into the no man's land sphere of thinking. The pendulum has swung and it’ll never return to its original state. This is the time to beef up training on topics like Creative Thinking because it is going to take a different way of thinking to navigate these waters. A manager who is used to sitting at a desk and managing people he can see and summon is now faced with a new reality of remote managing of teams.