A place to start is to manage your focus, expertise and deliverables on a specific task. If you do, that will lead to your outcomes.
Public health vs economics are the two key areas most chambers are focusing on right now for their small business members and the community at large.
They went on to talk about the different uses of task forces in these Covid-19 times:
Task Forces can be set-up to:
- Help give advice on internal changes at your organization (strategic planning, etc.)
- Reopening guidance for your small business members.
- How you will conduct future events for your chamber members based on the latest information from the local and state health care professionals.
- Safe work environment for chamber staff when they re-engage back in the office.
They gave some best practices advice you should think about when forming a task force:
- The task force should be expert-driven, and it should have external partners.
- It’s key to set expectations for the task force with clear roles and duties of its members (3-5 task force members).
- Task forces give advice and information and have no direct authority or approval functions, that’s the role of your board.
- Keep each task force focused on their specific issue and not stray from that task.
- Task forces should report to CEO and then secondarily the executive committee.
- Communications should be clear both ways.
- Weekly meetings might be a place to start. You can adjust as you move forward.
- Set a 90-day task force period with the option to extend if needed.
- Transparency and messaging is key from senior management of the chamber. It’s about telling your story!
They ended with reminding those participating that the four key points of a task force:
- Resource to your chamber;
- Can be nimble;
- A team of specialists; and
- It’s your consulting team to provide solutions.
A task force can help you manage through these unprecedented times. Set-up your task force/s today!
