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48 BCBUSINESS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 Mindful Moves Whether change to your organization is planned or unplanned, be purposeful about it, says expert Mumtaz Chaudhary CALL TO ACTION Chaudhary has seen leaders become more responsive and deci- sive in COVID's wake summer, leaving U.S. job open- ings at a record 10.9 million in July. Among Canadian busi- nesses surveyed by Statistics Canada in April, one quarter said they expected shortage of labour to be a problem. Data-driven because of the digitization of business, a trend hastened by COVID. In a McKinsey & Co. global survey of executives last summer, respondents were three times more likely than pre-pandemic to say that at least 80 percent of their customer interactions are digital. Hybrid work is something that Chaudhary has seen com- panies adopt with increasing enthusiasm after being forced into it. "The pandemic has proven that it's an achievable model for a lot of organiza- tions," she says, "and we're helping people implement it." Businesses are also pay- ing much closer attention to mental health. Chaudhary says she's seeing employee assistance programs being "amped up" across the board at companies "small, medium and large." As parting advice, she emphasizes that all change, whether planned or unplanned, must be purpose- ful and revolve around a value or culture that leaders them- selves identify with. That doesn't have to be seri- ous stuff. Chaudhary recounts the story of working with an electrical safety regulator that was moving from an old system—called Star—to a new, digital one. She recommended throwing a farewell bash, and the company took to it enthusi- astically: they called their event the Death Star party. "That's a fun way to show their culture," Chaudhary says, "but also to celebrate change that's implemented success- fully." –P.R. L E A D E R S H I P Mumtaz Chaudhary preaches what she practises—ensuring that organizational change goes smoothly and success- fully. Chaudhary made some big changes herself in 2006, when she launched what is now called Pragilis Solutions with her husband, Shaheen Chaudhary. There's been no shortage of work for the boutique manage- ment consulting firm, which now employs 12 to 15 contrac- tors at any given time. Pragilis Solutions' present and past cli- ents range from Coast Capital Savings and heavy-equipment titan Finning International to Emily Carr University and the Alberta government. You'd think that having a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic swing by—forcing many businesses to change so they could survive—would be a great opportunity for Chaudhary and Pragilis. But planned change, the kind her Vancou- ver outfit specializes in, is very different from the unplanned version, she says. Companies usually have "a charter and a mandate and a plan" for how they want to effect change, she explains. They just need help with how, and that's where Chaudhary and her team come in. "Leaders had to become more responsive and more decisive," she says of those at the helm trying to navigate unending lockdowns and restrictions, "and they had to communicate frequently and transparently." Another key takeaway for leaders during unplanned change is to work iteratively, Chaudhary says. "You're going to make mistakes, and you're going to have to cor- rect course." Chaudhary thinks the pandemic has shown leaders the power of effective mes- saging, too, citing provincial health officer Bonnie Henry's "Be kind, be calm, be safe" catchphrase as an example of clear and compassionate communication. The people have spoken Looking ahead, leaders will increasingly become both more people-focused and data- driven, according to Chaud- hary. People-focused because of the "Great Resignation" that swept North America over the PRAGILIS SOLUTIONS