One of the most unsettling features of the last year is the dramatic challenge it has placed on the way we feel about the future. Before COVID hit many of us perceived the future as relatively stable and clear, making planning simple. But certainty disappears in a crisis and it’s only now, when there is light at the end of the tunnel, that many of us are thinking about how our organisations operate in a post-pandemic world.

Purpose, leadership, relevance and effectiveness are the fundamentals that need revisiting in a world that feels very different to that of 12 months ago. That means engaging with our customers (or residents) to understand what they’re worried about, what they’re struggling with and what help they need in an environment that has been severely disrupted. It means revisiting strategic priorities that are likely to have been identified in a very different era and reviewing operating models that emerged in response to the crisis – what has worked well and should now be mainstreamed, where have the challenges been and what can be done to prevent these from turning into long-term performance challenges.