20 DEBATE
In terms of place-shaping and how we help the county reset, we’ve looked at four key areas. The first is ‘Open for business’. That is very much about working with tourism and looking at ways it can reopen safely.
We’ve also been in conversations with government about things like Eden of the North.
And we’ve also looked at our industry and the way we can support those that make things in Lancashire.
The third area is strategic infrastructure. We have a £10bn pipeline in Lancashire. We’ve had a conversation with government to say we would look for £2bn of immediate investment to start bringing those schemes forward.
And we’ve set up a ‘sector watch tower’, based on all different industries, looking at some of the big players, what the impact of Covid-19’s been on them, but also looking further down the supply chain.
Adaptability and
flexibility are going to be important in the next few months, and an ability to act very fast
In a very practical way, we’re trying to work with them on diversification and look for different markets to ride out the Covid-19 storm.
As an organisation, we have always tried to have a transformational approach to work. We want to have people working more agilely which has a number of benefits in terms of cost, the environment and such like.
AL: Looking at the different ways that people have coped with Covid, it has been stripping out all that periphery and concentrating on, ‘Who are my clients, how am I going to carry on communicating with them? What is it that I’m going to be doing when I totally reset?’ Those priorities and those key messages have really had to be looked at.
PW: Once the immediate impact was recognised, the most important thing for us was to think about the future from a client perspective. What do they think the future market will look like, and how are they going to compete?
We’re going to have to be led by our customers because we’re a professional services firm, so it’s what the customer wants at the end of the day. That’s what we’re doing at the moment, really understanding what each of our customer’s worlds are going to look like, and how we can set up as a business to be able to support them. It’s about combining your client and your people strategy.
LK: It’s making the most of the opportunities. The situation has enforced some technology onto us. We’ve now got a paperless office and we’ve managed to carry out 80 per cent of our audits offsite through remote working. It’s critical that accountants make best use of technology and make the most of being able to offer an advisory role, rather than it being in the background. It’s about helping businesses plan ahead.
HW: Sometimes the conversations at the moment are around, ‘Are you going to have to shrink to survive?’ and having those difficult conversations, and then talking about who they need to go and get some advice from. It is very much about the leadership thought process at this moment in time.
One of our biggest issues is getting business owners to engage. There’s got to be a better way of communicating, because at the moment there’s an awful lot of people all trying to help, but we’re all doing it at the same time and trying to talk to the same people. That’s where we’re losing that opportunity to help businesses restart.
What’s the best way business support services, whether private sector or public sector, can add value to other businesses?
HW: Collaborate.
PW: It’s the shared insight for me, actually taking a piece of insight you’ve had from one client and making sure you share that across others.
IM: I’d say adaptability. We’re talking about businesses changing, pivoting, learning, strengthening. It’s always been a truism that a business that adapts to changing times and challenges is the most successful.
SB: This is the time of fastest ever learning. We can have three years of development of a business in three months, that’s what’s happened. The way to maximise and speed up that learning is listening and understanding. Listening to lots of different voices and packaging it up and sharing it.
LK: Simplify the information that we receive, and then amplify it to others around us, clients and others alike. So, we need to share.
The qualities of being based in Lancashire come right to the
surface as soon as you look to do business
elsewhere. I’m sure that could be marketed
DC: Adaptability and flexibility are going to be really important in the next few months and an ability to act very fast. Property and construction are going to see some unpredicted opportunities arising very quickly and the people who are the most flexible are going to be able to take advantage of that.
AL: Communication is key, and simplify that communication.
SY: It’s about learning from what’s happened, it’s about adapting that learning into business processes going forward. It’s about coming together as a wider Lancashire economy, and taking that quite clear message forward in terms of what we’re about and what we’re looking to deliver.
Planning your recovery?
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Contact our team today. Call 0800 488 0057. Search Boost Lancashire
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