IBJ's Beyond COVID

Are you keeping a crisis journal? A detailed log of the decisions your company is making and why, plus all the circumstances—internal and external—that affected those decisions? Dave Luter says you should. He's a consultant at Netlogx, an Indianapolis company that helps other firms manage change and challenges. Netlogx has been working to help clients navigate the difficulties of the pandemic. And one of its key pieces of advice to business leaders is to keep a crisis journal. And to do it every day because the situation and information has been changing so quickly.  Dave walks us through the crisis journal concept and why it might work for you. -- For more information, check out a toolkit created by Netlogx that includes a webinar featuring Dave talking in more detail about steps companies can take to weather the pandemic. -- IBJ's Beyond COVID podcast is brought to you by James Allen Insurance.   -- Music for IBJ's Beyond COVID podcast is by Septahelix and is licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.   

FirstPerson, a human resources consulting firm in Indianapolis, is talking to customers about how to bring their employees back to work — all while setting up its own process for doing so. Paul Ashley, a FirstPerson senior vice president and adviser, discusses how to talk with employees about coming back to work, how to address increasing mental health needs of workers, and the ways in which the workplace may change.  He also talks about a number of resources that companies can use to prepare and implement upcoming changes. Here are the links: FirstPerson: Ensuring a Safe and Prosperous Return to the Workplace FirstPerson COVID-19 Resource Hub CICP Return-to-Work Playbooks Paul Ashley: Reducing the Stigma --   BJ's Beyond COVID podcast is brought to you by James Allen Insurance.   -- Music for IBJ's Beyond COVID podcast is by Septahelix and is licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. 

How long is your business plan? Does it fit on one page? Leadership coach Craig P. Anderson says too many companies create business plans that are dozens, if not hundreds of pages long and are just too complicated to follow.  As president of his previous company, Student Connections, and his work at Strada Education Network and JPMorgan Chase, Craig says he learned that a concise, straightforward business plan is the key to success—not just in normal times, but especially now, when the economy has been thrown for a loop. Through his company, Clear Path Coaching and Consulting, he leads business leaders through the process of creating a one-page plan. And today, he’s going to share with us how to do it. -- IBJ's Beyond COVID podcast is brought to you by James Allen Insurance.   -- Music for IBJ's Beyond COVID podcast is by Septahelix and is licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. 

As Indiana begins the process of reopening its economy, there are no doubt plenty of contracts you may need to renegotiate. Maybe it’s a lease for your space or a vendor in your supply chain. Maybe it’s a contract with a customer. Those negotiations aren’t easy. That’s why we asked Charlotte Westerhaus-Renfrow—an assistant professor of law and management at the IU Kelley School of Business—to help us figure out the best way to navigate them. She talks about techniques like “slicing the salami” and “taking it to the balcony,” and she tell us why Zoom and other video conferencing tools are a great way to negotiate. The key, she says, is knowing what you truly need and what the other side needs as well. -- IBJ's Beyond COVID podcast is brought to you by James Allen Insurance.   -- Music for IBJ's Beyond COVID podcast is by Septahelix and is licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. 

Nancy Koehn—a historian, Harvard Business School professor and our guest on Beyond COVID—did a deep dive into history’s most outstanding leaders and what they tell us about the qualities of leadership for her book: “Forged in Crisis: The Making of Five Courageous Leaders.” What she learned is that leaders aren’t born; they are made. They are made through solving everyday problems but also through crises. So Nancy talked with host Lesley Weidenbener about how business owners and managers can use this pandemic to develop the skills that will lead their organizations out of the COVID crisis and on to better things. Also, hear from IBJ reporter Susan Orr about the newest round of paycheck protection funding and what it means for small businesses. IBJ's Beyond COVID podcast is brought to you by James Allen Insurance.   -- Music for IBJ's Beyond COVID podcast is by Septahelix and is licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.