The road ahead in the post pandemic period is referred as the new normal. No one knows what it will entail. What is however certain is that our “normal” of March 2020 and the emerging “new normal” will not be over lapping in many ways.
As opposed to working in structured, conservative and orderly comfort zones, leadership would have to be prepared to excel under conditions of uncertainty and ambiguity, as we live in times of exploration. We shall be guided more by a compass than a road map. We may be travelling paths that were unknown earlier. These are not statements that apply to industry alone, they are as much applicable to the non-profit and non-government sector entities like ours.
I tried to list the priorities for industry leaders, and then translated them to a Lions perspective to jot down our goals and potential working methodologies for the Association. All of this is tentative, but we must continue to apply our minds. Ultimately, in our Association, we are blessed with the benefit of sharing the wisdom of groups and individuals from across the globe, so these are just some preliminary thoughts that come to mind:
Industry Leadership Analysis – Recognizing the current and future trends and challenges. Directing development of the organization to meet such challenges. Staying ahead of the curve by exploiting the current opportunities and innovative expansion of operations.
Lions Perspective – Retaining and developing our market share. Creating new markets. Enhancing community’s mind share through a result oriented PR strategy and communication. Building significant partnerships, brand loyalty and donor constituencies.
Practical Goals – Sustainable membership development through member engagement in need based programs. Perception building and reputation management for recognition as a community resource. Community, government, corporate and individual support for all lions programs.
Working methodologies - Inclusive leadership with representation of women and young adults. Listening to multiple voices. Ongoing capacity building. Respecting those who created the legacy of our Association. Evaluating the returns on our time and resources invested for increasing the impact of our programs. Integrating technology, and every kind of intelligence as we build an Amazon of service.
