We’ve been learning quite a few business lessons during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Some of us have found ourselves in a less than favorable position, where it has become necessary to make strategic adjustments and become a little more fluid. Leaders, business owners, and people in general should look for the silver lining in situations like these. We can ask ourselves, “what can this teach me,” or “how can I become better?” There’s just a lot to think about now that everything has changed so quickly.
What we consider ‘normal’ is just so fragile.
What we know today could be completely different tomorrow or next week. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. So when we make our plans, we have to stay fluid and be able to adjust to a rapidly changing reality. I mentioned to our team how one of the strengths of a small business is the ability to adapt and stay fluid. Well, there’s no better time than now to put our adaptability to the test.
That brings me to something I realized about teams like ours: success is really only possible through a group of people. It can be so challenging if you’re by yourself or you don’t have anyone to help get through a rough time. For us, the sheer number of team members who stepped up and said, yes, we know what we need to do and we’re here to serve.
Sometimes you just don’t know what to do.
I look back to when the news broke about the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of us were trying to figure out what we were supposed to do next. There were even some people questioning whether any of this was real. Although we may not know what each new week will hold, I think it’s important to do the right thing. We all have the ability to help someone—it’s just a matter of figuring out how. It is important that we don’t confine ourselves (or limit our ability to help someone else) unless it’s absolutely necessary. During a crisis, we might get into survival mode, which usually doesn’t make room for helping others. We learned that there were many people who needed our help, and they were thankful that our team was able to assist wherever possible.
Even during times when there’s not much pressure, it’s a good idea to make sure we’re in a place where we do not become trapped.
That might mean running a lean business, being very conscious about sustainability, and being very careful about the risks taken. Just like that, those risks could turn upside down and really end up costing us dearly. It is always good to make a contingency plan just in case. We did this before the pandemic, but we wish that maybe we would have done a little bit more.
Distance isn’t always the best solution.
There’s been talk about moving everything to an internet-based solution, but we feel that people still need people. As easy as it might seem to move all our interactions online—especially when we have the technology for videoconferencing and messaging—there’s still just something about personal face-to-face interaction that’s irreplaceable. I hope we can get back to that because it’s often much more meaningful than a phone call or a zoom meeting.
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