The Tribune

By RODERICK A. SIMMS II

Past Chamber of Commerce

Family Island division director

email: RASII@ME.com

THE past two years have been an economic and social roller-coaster. The COVID pandemic, subsequent global supply chain crisis, inflation and fears of an imminent economic recession have forced leaders and policymakers to act outside of their comfort zone to adapt to unusual circumstances. The concept of mandatory lockdowns required our leaders to make tough decisions on the impact this would have on student learning, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), foreign direct investment (FDI), tourism and crime. After all was said and done, there were lessons and opportunities that came out of this series of events. But what did our leaders take away from all of this? In this segment, we will discuss the importance and role of learning agility in leadership.

The role of learning agility in leadership

Learning agility is a term commonly used within leadership circles. It refers to an individual’s ability to adapt and be open to innovative thinking in the face of a new challenge. Agile learners are usually catalysts for change. Leadership often requires unlearning old ways of doing things and creating new responses to meet the challenges that lie ahead, or to get the best value out of opportunities. We sometimes make the mistake of over-extending merit to leaders based on previous achievements. But since growth is ever-changing, we should challenge ourselves to expect more from our leaders outside their previous successes. This is sometimes difficult to do because we place value on certain outcomes that were directly tied to a specific leader or government. However, we must analyse how these achievements have benefited society over time.

The new normal

While it may be a hard pill to swallow, the world will never be the same as it was prior to the COVID pandemic. But, under agile leadership, this is not necessarily a bad thing. This can allow for a smooth transition to the ‘new normal’ post-pandemic. Being innovative is important in how a country’s government responds to social and economic needs. For instance, tourism is one of the most impacted sectors because of COVID- 19. The United Nations’ World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) estimates that small and medium-sized enterprises (which make up around 80 percent of the tourism sector) are expected to be particularly affected. Do we really think that our country’s largest source of revenue should not be reviewed or challenged going forward?

This is where agility comes into play. The Bahamian tourism sector’s recovery will require more than new hotel bookings and lifted restrictions. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) points out that countries may be able to weather economic storms by relying on additional debt or using available foreign reserves. “However, access to global capital markets is increasingly tight, more so for small countries such as small island developing states (SIDS), which are often highly indebted and not well diversified... Many of the SIDS, like Jamaica and The Bahamas, also face high external debt burdens which require complementary external debt suspension or relief programmes,” it said. This reality shows that, as global economic conditions worsen, SIDS such as The Bahamas need to diversity their economy rather than rely on developed countries for financial security. While this has always been an easy way to go, countries will prioritise in the midst of post-pandemic conditions. The ‘new normal’ will require our leaders to find innovative ways to be less reliant on the help of other nations.

Planning Ahead

A little planning goes a long way. One of the tools that agile leaders possess is planning. Planning allows for us as a nation to use the right policies, procedures and access to funding ahead of unforeseen disasters. The Bahamas should truly be masters at economic planning considering our exposure to natural disasters, which have proven to be extremely costly over the past two decades. But we may not have entirely learnt our lesson. No matter the extent of the disaster, we are constantly peddling the same knee-jerk approaches such as last-minute committees, seeking funding from international groups and putting in temporary solutions that prove to be more costly in the long run.

National Development Plan

The National Development Plan (NDP) provides the Government with a road map for making informed decisions, and reduces potential risks ahead of unforeseen events and crises. The NDP’s main goal is to help leaders communicate with their teams on what is needed to drive change. Communication is essential for leadership, especially when having to adapt to complex, quickly-changing environments. The NDP will also provide direction that has been thoroughly researched and vetted. This is important in the face of disasters or unforeseen crises because it will help us avoid making knee-jerk decisions.

Conclusion

COVID is just one of many global crises that can arise. We must observe and learn the trends, mistakes and changes that are occurring. Using the NDP to prepare The Bahamas as a competitive nation is a great first step. But it requires our leaders to be deliberate about wanting to change the way in which we respond to such events. Unless leaders become more agile and start to plan, we will use the same tools and procedures that have proven to have little to no effect in developing our nation.