WHEN COVID-19 broke out, we all thought it was going to be another manageable ailment, until everything came to a halt. SUCCESS LIFE:Jonah Nyoni Now, we are slowly going back to business, but it seems life will not go back to normal any time soon. As highlighted in previous articles, occupational safety and health is now a central point in the corporate space. Time is ticking and we should now be thinking of what we will do whether COVID-19 goes away or stays longer. Governments across the globe are easing restrictions and we need to be thinking of ways of being effective in the “new normal”. As we think about how to strategise, the PWL Global Insurance says there are five priorities that we should consider as we craft our strategies: Realign your cost structure and sharpen productivity Supercharge digital transformation to create a digital enterprise Carve out new revenue streams Prepare your workforce for the new world Strengthen capital efficiency. Flexibility Most institutes have the same way of doing specific things and it’s hard to tell them that their year-to-year template is no longer relevant. In some institutes, you take a report that was written three years back, there are still clauses that are still being used, but with little success. Piloting Generally as we plan, we usually have short, medium and long-term plans. Before anyone takes on a long-term plan, it would be ideal to test it before they commit to it entirely. Make a short-term action plan as a pilot programme or experimental way so as to see the possible benefits or losses. This test run tells us what works and what does not work. Involvement Having tabled your strategic plan as a company, you need a progressive and a probing debate on the same document. It’s unfortunate that some leaders draft a document somewhere and shove it into the throat of employees to swallow without expecting to be questioned how realistic the plan is. Is it SMART enough? Does it bring solutions to specificities? Corporate audit Ask yourself: Where am I? At times we tend to think of ourselves as what we are really not. As a company, make both an internal and external audit. What did we lose? What kept us afloat? What do we need to stay relevant? This gives you a picture of how you are perceived in the minds of people against what you think of yourself. This helps to make necessary adjustments. Adopt a post-COVID-19 mentality The strategic plan becomes futile, especially with leaders that are hinged on maintaining and managing systems. Life has changed. COVID-19 has redefined rules of operation. Besides, life has its sharp turns, twists and changes and the leader should know what to do. As others ask the question: What? The leader asks: Why? That gives the proper answer it could to a current issue or for future encounters. “Why” gives purpose to the programmes you are doing. Is it significant? how is it positively affecting humanity? The “why factor” liberates leaders from just doing a project because it’s their work requirement. They do it because it’s relevant an