With all the craziness going on in the world this year, from COVID, food supply chain stress, climate change and forest fires, the turmoil in Afghanistan only seemed to add to the general sense of anxiety many of us have been feeling.
By comparison, the familiar world of Credit, Collections and Receivables management, while not exactly cuddly, has felt safe and predictable at least. In many ways, we have been fortunate.
Managing change
This being said even here, we have seen some dramatic changes over the last year, enabling remote working, creating digital portals, new forbearance processes and strategies. Indeed many people stepped up, and the work has been hard (or people have worked hard to find work), but in the end hopefully rewarding.
Now it is feeling like much of the upheaval is stabilising, even the industry news seems quieter now. So, has the rate of new change slowed? are we in an island of stability?.. it is certainly starting to feel more like BAU.
Taking a break
Maybe all of this is just because it is the summer. Frankly, many of us needed a holiday and a change of scene… and, judging by just how busy the beach was in North Yorkshire last week, many of us did (it was lovely by the way!).
Whilst change can sometimes be stressful, it can also on the other hand be exciting and exhilarating. By suddenly taking this away, by comparison, what is left can feel dull and malaise can set in. It is a danger we need to guard against.
Reinvigorate, reinvent
Back at the office most of us really do not want to live in a permanent crisis mode day after day. However, a little bit of positive change does also keep things interesting.
Obviously, things still need to be done, the day-to-day business still needs to be run, but here are a few ideas to make the most of the lull… before the next storm!
- Get some rest, use your vacation allowance. It is hard to pick up speed if you are still tired.
- Operationalise those projects. All the hastilly implemented projects from the last year, now need stablising and converting to BAU. Use the time to tidy processes, to be ready for any future change
- Implement those system changes. Work with your vendors to dovetail functionality with existing systems, learn the product and how to use all the new functionality available to you now
- Spend time with your team(s). People time is important time, new insights, new ideas and fresh perspectives. Work on their development (and your own), so skills are strong in the future
- Plan and scan. Think about whats ahead. How can processes be made better? What is a good customer journey? Are we resilient for future change? What are the latest developments on the horizon? What capabilities do we need now?
- Make some decisions. Lastly, there may be time to make considered decisions on issues, lining up a few complex questions, that may have been put off for a while could be beneficial.
The world has not changed… that much
Despite how it may or may not feel, the world has not changed that much. Thought processes, how to prioritize and get things done are all still the same, just some parameters changed.
So, on coming back from vacation, now could be a good time to take a step back. A step back in order to be able to move forward with a new sense of momentum for the rest of the year.
Have a good weekend everyone…
