This year is about resilience and recovery on the wings of change
January 5th, 2022
The 2021-2022 edition of Who’s Who in Trinidad & Tobago Business is the second published during the COVID-19 pandemic as, despite vaccinations happening in Trinidad and Tobago and globally, the spread continues. We do need to change gears now as it looks like this new normal will prevail for many years to come. We hear about lives and livelihood, response and recovery, sustainability and resilience and we know that all of these activities have a distinct role in the journey of the pandemic, but we know very little about what strategies and best practices we should adopt to cover all the phases above. This publication focuses on people in their businesses and how they create and nurture relationships and networking, so my message this year is about resilience and recovery on the wings of change.
It is said that there are five pillars of resilience which are self-awareness, mindfulness, self-care, relationships and purpose.
Self-awareness is having a clear perception of your personality, including strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivations, and emotions.
Self-awareness is having a clear perception of your personality, including strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivations, and emotions.
Mindfulness is a state of active open attention to the present.
Self-care refers to our ability as human beings to function effectively in the world while meeting the mindful changes of daily life.
Positive relationships are the reciprocal connections we share with people who support and care for us.
Purpose is a recognition that we belong to and service something bigger than ourselves.
As businesses recover from COVID-19-related disruption and begin to reimagine their position in the new normal, they need to become more self-aware as this impacts their ability to achieve long-term resilience. Businesses must consider all the potential strains on all functions of operational capacity, as well as take their employees’ psychological resilience into account.
They need to look at the shifts in demand and how to prepare for them. They need to seek out innovative new ways to improve health and increase the productivity of their people. There will be a need to think about new capital allocation models and focus on creating value, which will allow businesses to avoid disruptions that happen a lot quicker than before. Lastly, the major question we in the private sector seem to be asking is – what is the role of our businesses in rebuilding our economy and improving our communities? We must answer the call to be involved in a higher sense of purpose if we wish to succeed.
Organisations must now navigate and support employees’ expectations associated with the new normal. This means managing change associated with a shift in workplace arrangements. Organisations will need to address the work from anywhere and hybrid schedule expectations in order to recruit and keep top talent. There will be a need for effective change management for resilience and recovery to soar on the wings of change.
As always, I wish all the stakeholders of this publication a speedy transition from the state of surviving to thriving.
