At every turn, you see more disturbing news and uncertainty about the pandemic and its human and economic impact. It’s enough to lose your balance and direction. What we do know for certain is:
- The health and economic maelstrom are deadly serious at all levels for individuals, families, communities and all types of organisations and it’s not going away anytime soon.
Unless a vaccine or other treatment is found, restrictions of some type could continue for 12-18 months.
- Clients, customers and communities will continue to need services and products from our businesses. They’ll need us to help in new ways and maybe in different areas to those we normally work in. Some will need our help even more.
It means you can’t just sit this one out and hope that things will be back to normal soon. You need to act now to get your balance and set direction. You will need to innovate.
Most of you in my network are in a leadership role or supporting and advising those who are.
We know that transitions are first and foremost about leadership. It means that staff and others will take their cue from you on how they should respond.
After three decades of working with leaders in organisations and industries experiencing rapid change, I’ve found certain actions help more than others when it comes to navigating a transition.
I’m sure that some of these will be relevant for you:
- You can’t help others until you help yourself. Take care of your physical and mental health in turbulent times, those who are fast to recover will have resilience and energy.
Make sure that you are productive every day with a few things that really matter, instead of working excessive hours.
Eat healthy food and make time to get some exercise, play with your children or pet, watch comedy on television, read a book, meditate, garden. You get the idea – do whatever works well for you.
- Be present in the moment. Look at your current reality as stands – not as it was, could or should be. Take stock of your finances, current business, and future business and determine exactly what you’re facing. Then you can decide your priorities for action.
Most of all, remember that you will lose balance if you: dwell on what you did or should have done earlier (regret); or fixate or what might or might not happen in future (fear).
- Keep things in perspective. The Persian adage that ‘this, too, shall pass away’ speaks volumes in times of great adversity and success.
Finally, look for what is working and changing for the better. We are already seeing real collaboration between governments and businesses to help manage the crisis.
We may well see the emergence of a business community that is kinder and more valued by all.