The Covid-19 pandemic has changed everything in the world of work and in our personal lives. It is a Never Before event, a one in 100-year VUCA crisis. Coping and thriving in and beyond Never Before events is difficult but not impossible. The impacts of the pandemic on our work environments are not all on the surface. Many impacts are hidden, and due to their nature may be difficult to detect. The true effects may not be fully experienced or the impact fully realised until our communities are well into the recovery phase.

Never Before is the first new valuable text that creates a useful and insightful bridge from the pre-Covid world to the new environment we find ourselves in today, full of opportunities, not all of which look like old opportunities (Mark Woodbridge:2021).

Authentic and regular, people-centred communication has been key during this difficult time and in the foreseeable future. By following the approach to leadership laid out in Never Before, you will come out of the pandemic in a strong position because of it.

The winners in this new environment will be the organisations that let go of the past and seek new ways to operate in a new business normal. New strategies and methods are needed to profit from this new world. Keep in mind, we have all changed through this experience and few will be willing to go back to the way it was before the Never Before event.