What will 2021 look like?

Nobody has all the answers — and yet many leaders find it difficult to ask for help. An effective coach is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sound business investment in someone with no personal agenda.

The leaders who cling to their old playbooks and lone-wolf instincts will be left behind as the post-pandemic world rewards those who collaborate, adapt, and act before the fog clears.

Happy new year! What will 2021 look like? In my conversations with business leaders we discuss this a lot. And you know, nobody knows the answer for sure. Covid-19 is the Black Swan in the famous book from Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

Key takeaways

I don't know exactly when the Corona pandemic is behind us. But that it will be over at some point seems pretty certain. Since the first vaccines seem to work very well, it is realistic to prepare ourselves for a post-corona time from Q2 and Q3 onwards.

But what are we going to do then? Are we going to behave after we just got stuck in a traffic jam? Hard on the gas (electricity) to make up for our lost time? Are we going to do a reset? Because we are much more aware of how vulnerable everything is? How grateful we should be for the time given to us?

What I know is that nobody has all the answers. We need others to find answers to the complex issues that are currently on our plates.

At the same time, I often experience that business leaders find it difficult to ask for help. It is probably a combination of their upbringing and character. Children who, unconsciously, learn from their parents that they must find their own solutions. Perhaps they are taught that asking for help is a sign of weakness. But you cannot know everything. You can never develop the deep expertise that you need to make good decisions in all areas. Trying to solve all your challenges as a senior leader is a dangerous cocktail that easily leads to making suboptimal decisions. Or even creating your own ceiling in your professional life.

There is an interesting dynamic going on in our practice. I must be honest, there is still a number of people who don't like using coaches or consultants or any type of external help. "Can't you do it yourself?" "I hired you to do the work, right? Why do you need a coach? ", "How do I come across to my colleagues / friends if they know I have a coach?". Fair point. You should never let a coach or a consultant take over your business. But letting some trusted experienced advisors assist you to make better decisions, will only accelerate your impact.

Who knows a top 10 tennis player without a coach? What is the difference with an entrepreneur or top manager? They do the same thing, right? It's top sport. In both situations, a coach with the right expertise can enable you to go to the next level. Precisely because you have already proven yourself. Precisely because you already work at a senior level. A coach is not a sign of weakness! And a coach is not a status symbol either. An effective coach is just a sound business investment — someone added temporarily to your inner circle, to enable you to have more positive impact. Someone with no personal or financial agenda other than enabling you to be your best version. Think about this and do an honest self-assessment. And of course you have to be selective who you will work with. You need to get the added value you're looking for. Your time is your most precious resource.

In times of uncertainty, strength lies not in solitary expertise, but in the courage to seek out collective wisdom—those who ask for help will shape the future, not just survive it.

Over to you.