On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities notified the WHO of a group of patients infected with an unknown virus. Less than a month later, on January 20, 2020, the first case of the newly named COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus was detected in the United States. What’s unfolded since has gripped the world on many fronts as governments react to protect public health and economic stability.
For businesses large and small, these turbulent times pose a significant amount of uncertainty. Leaders will be tested as to the best course of action for protecting their employees, customers and shareholders. While there will be tough decisions to be made and choppy waters to navigate, not all of it must be grim. All crises and challenges provide opportunities for growth and future success. We have laid out a few of our own ideas here that perhaps will help our own clients, partners and readers with taking control and leading through challenging environments.
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Communicate Frequently: For the very few companies who are not already doing this, communicating with your customers and employees on updates concerning the pandemic’s impact on your products and services is important for keeping lines of communication open and maintaining a steady presence through a storm.
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Re-Connect with People: Use this time as an opportunity to reach out to clients, past clients, partners and vendors to check in on how they are doing. This is an important time for us to be there for others even when there isn’t an immediate gain. Compassion wins and those you touch will remember it later. This is an opportunity for building deep, long-term relationships that successful businesses are built on.
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Keep Working: For those businesses who are able to run with a remote team, now is the opportunity to lean on (or create) rock solid systems and processes and leverage technology (think virtual conferencing, project management tools, etc) to keep productive even when the team is apart. One silver lining that may come out of this is realizing newfound productivity through remote work and less unproductive face-to-face meetings.
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Maintain Team Morale Virtually: Just because you are working remotely doesn’t mean that a leader can neglect their culture and team morale. Get your team together weekly or even daily for group bonding time using video conferencing tools such as Zoom. Isolation affects everybody in different ways and it’s important to continue to be there for each other and maintain the camaraderie of a team.
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Be a Voice in Your Industry: Chances are, your industry is experiencing a great deal of uncertainty during these times. Seize the opportunity to be a thought leader on the impact of COVID-19 on your industry and how to move forward. Reach out to reporters covering your vertical to offer your industry insight. Publish content on your own blog and social media channels about the impact of COVID-19 on your industry and what you’re doing about it. You may even consider hosting a webinar to bring your industry together during a time when many of your conferences and trade shows were likely cancelled.
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Help Others: If you’re in a position to do so, allocate some of your resources to give back to the community and those impacted by the virus. We will get through this a lot smoother if we all come together to support one another in whichever way we can.
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Stay Focused on the Big Picture: This, as in all other global crises, will pass and the world will emerge stronger. While you’re in crisis management mode, don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. Continue sowing the seeds for long-term success and do not neglect the daily activities that will continue compounding into results long after this is over. Keep the momentum going.
As we work with all of our clients to navigate the COVID-19 landscape and continue to grow their organizations and voices as leaders, our commitment to serving is steadfast. For organizations seeking guidance on communicating when the stakes are high, our lines are always open and we will continue to be prepared to help. Be safe, and protect your health and the health of others before all else.
