What is the colour of Covid-19? It is Amber to Red, as Performance Losses Multiply

‘What is the data telling us?’  I asked – curious to know what the data was saying about the impact of the crisis on our clients and, in particular, what it revealed about how they were responding to it.  

‘Well, one thing for sure this covid-19 doesn’t like green’ was the reply.  That was my colleague’s way of saying that there had been a dramatic rise in Performance Losses – highlighted by ambers and reds in our data-sets.

This is the magnification of a pattern we have long observed – the shift from greens to ambers and ambers to reds that happens when you put an organization or team under a lot of pressure.  And Covid-19 has certainly amped the pressure!

So, where are the reds to be found?  Well, first look to Performance Design – before the crisis people may have been in the right roles doing the right work and working in the right way, but the sudden shift to remote working has resulted in a lot more amber and red.

There is a blaze of new ambers and reds in respect of Performance Dynamics too, with any underlying cracks in terms of urgency, tension, adrenaline, and communication being magnified by the Covid-19 situation.

Of course, there are reds over strategy and execution too, with many organizations spinning their wheels in terms of market traction. These reds and ambers are deadly serious for some, with revenue drying up. However, it is the other reds and ambers that reflect the ability of the executive team to respond to the challenge of weathering the crisis.

We will explore the changing colour of performance potential in more detail over the coming weeks, with some interesting patterns already emerging in respect of Right Work and Right Way of working for example.

As the shock of the sudden changes diminish, leaders will need to start paying attention to the reds and ambers, working on them to directly tackle performance losses quickly. We are looking forward to a gradual return to amber and ultimately green.