By Luis Bendersky, Ceo y Co-Founder

To be protagonists is to act today while building tomorrow.

Today we are going through the sixth week of quarantine and the Covid-19 has already generated changes that nobody was expecting, we find ourselves almost overnight immersed in a changing scenario that has changed and is changing day by day. 

We are challenged to find the best solutions as individuals, as companies, as active participants in society, while looking to a new future that came without warning and asks us to be leaders, proactive, dynamic and protagonists of this change. 

Both in our daily work, whether accompanying our clients in their key agenda, and obviously also in our own agenda, which in the end is the same, we are totally focused on taking care of each other and strengthening support, links and internal and external communication. 

It is also key to adapt ourselves quickly to the new environment, adapting our management, services and operation to continue operating effectively and ensure the sustainability of the business. 

And we must also leave a part of our head and hands free to continue building the future. 

To surf the wave that we are living, acting and building at the same time is fundamental and it is about balancing four fronts that we consider vital for these times: 

  • KEEP SAFE – Taking care of each other by prioritizing the impact on the community.
  • KEEP MOVING – Adapting to the environment and ensuring operational continuity.
  • KEEP IN GAME – Ensuring the sustainability of the business.
  • KEEP BUILDING – Building the future and transforming the present.

KEEP LEADING, this is the challenge we face as leaders. 

Balancing four agendas, so that each one plays its role and that for each company, depends strongly on the industry segment and the geographies where they operate, the degree of autonomy in decision making that today should be stronger than ever and of course the human and financial capabilities, culture and degree of technological maturity. 

Today leadership has to be much more present and closer, even more so in the “distance”. This moment asks us, demands us proximity, listening and being more active than ever, no matter what kind of work we do. 

The emotional support and accompaniment in the remote activity that blurs days and working hours, in a personal and family environment completely different, with new dynamics of management and collaboration and lifelong learning, requires a strong work from the whole company, its HR areas and each leader in first person. 

This leadership is also exercised, obviously, beyond remote work, in operations with a physical component and need for unavoidable presence, whether in industrial, logistical, or field work environments and also in care networks, and many others, whether they are essential activities or those that are released from quarantine every day. 

In this case, leadership is also played on special planning and prevention, which emphasizes prioritizing only critical activities and care for people, reassigning functions to different risk groups, applying HSE deeply and designing shifts that privilege minimum density and maximum reduction of the infamous R0 in our own facilities. It is time to apply “Zero Base Operation and Organization”. 

What we are going through puts us in front of one of the biggest challenges we have experienced, because this time the crisis is global, the uncertainty is very high and we are talking about taking care of people and organizations at the same time, obviously one and the other are indivisible. 

Families, colleagues, objectives, the effort and affection of so many people are at stake. Our role is at stake with regard to collaborators, clients, strategic partners and our contribution to the entire community. 

These are times to act constructively, in solidarity and in a projective manner, even though the immediate is overwhelming, these are times where leadership is demonstrated by example. 

That’s what it’s all about: leading by example, with commitment, being protagonist. 

That’s what it’s all about: leading by example, with commitment, being a protagonist. 

Those of us who lead Paradigma are convinced that our mission is the same as the one of the leaders of any company, to act today while we are building tomorrow. This is our essence, this is what we believe in. 

What each one of us and the organizations we belong to do during this crisis will continue to mark our footprint. 

 

By  Luis Bendersky, CEO and Co-Founder