Unexpectedly Virtual

How we are dealing with Covid-19.

In the US, it’s been easy for us to write off health scares like SARS or eBola because we’ve historically had a well-run CDC and State Department that have done their jobs and kept us protected. This is apparent because other countries fared far worse than we in previous outbreaks.

This year we are seeing a spread of Covid-19, which for us at Modus has meant that a month or two of travel to client sites may not happen. For the companies we are working with, momentum is a primary tool. Change requires practice, attention, and care.

If the change agents disappear, the change simply doesn’t happen.

We weren’t given a lot of time to prepare and after all the flights and hotel bookings were canceled, we sat down with our clients and worked out a structure for a fully remote set of activities…. that could be remote just for us or for all of our clients’ people as well.

Some major employers in Seattle have already told their employees to stay home for the month. Some of our clients are expecting the same very soon.

So, here’s what we are doing.

1. We’ve outlined the activities coming up for the following month
2. We’ve created coaching and learning plans for individuals, teams, and larger groups
3. We’ve matched those plans to content on our on-line learning platform at modusinstitute.com
4. The people can watch the videos wherever they are
5. We build action plans together based on what they’ve just learned and what they currently need
6. Momentum is maintained, costs are lower, and the system is flexible to weather this current health scare.

But the unexpected benefit….

All these companies now are able to learn continuous improvement and intentional culture techniques in an atmosphere where it is obvious that they need to adapt.

So we’re able to immediately apply learning and coaching because the current emergency demands it.

Just released: The Modus Institute Subscription: All our classes, plus subscription-only content, as they are created.

About Jim Benson

Jim Benson is the creator and co-author (with Tonianne DeMaria) of the best seller: Personal Kanban. His other books include Why Limit WIP, Why Plans Fail, and Beyond Agile. He is a winner of the Shingo Award for Excellence in Lean Thinking and the Brickell Key Award. He and Tonianne teach online at Modus Institute and consult regularly, helping clients in all verticals create working systems. He regularly keynotes conferences, focusing on making work rewarding and humane.