Coronavirus lockdown?
Our message always under siege has been–ATTACK! The last thing we can do is to go into personal lockdown. It’s time to go on the offensive with every fiber of our beings, as never before.
At this point, developing the skills and technology to connect virtually to remote teams, clients, and prospects will be key.
Once past the pandemic, remote work and a tendency toward social isolation will continue. Even when we get the “all clear,” the pattern of a new virtual culture will have crystalized
It is time for a new type of leader, and that leader is you. This can be your moment.
In times like these, not only do new leaders emerge, but new kinds of leaders arise with qualities attuned to the times.
These times are totally disruptive, as when the American Revolution tore the fabric of government and life apart. The Founding Fathers of the US were a fractious and argumentative group, but uniquely suited to lead in their moment in time.
The tech innovators such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs of the ‘90s and early 21st century disrupted how we work and live and created wealth, employment and opportunity in the process.
It’s our moment as leaders now to lead and to coalesce into a community that defines a new type of leader: agile, compassionate, with an unprecedented ability to drive business results and create alignment in a brand new environment. In this new environment we are as separated from the person next door as we are from the person half way across the world and our ability to connect with person halfway around the world is exactly the same as our ability to connect with our neighbor.
Putting Covid-19/Coronavirus in perspective–it is the most disruptive event since WWII. 9/11 was a devastating attack on America soil. The serial wars in Iraq and Afghanistan put lives on the line from all over the world. 2008 wreaked financial grief. But nothing has put life in the balance and the trade of the nations into jeopardy like this pandemic.
No one can know what this will all look like when COVID-19 is a memory. The only certainty is that it won’t go back to how it looked before. It never does.
Here are some basic strategies to become the new kind of leader that leads us now.
- Lead in new ways, creating multiple paths and options. We must remain centered– and above all in a problem-solving mode. Our reaction to this crisis is more dangerous than the pandemic. We can’t put anything on hold. If we are halted by the crisis, how can we accomplish the same outcome in a different way? If it can’t be done under lockdown, how can we shift to something else entirely different?
- Review your 2020 business plan, strategy, and budget. You may decide parts are irrelevant, but if you don’t revisit the plan you’ve been operating under, you’ll be navigating without a plan, the worst place you could be. You may find that you can stay on track with much of your 2020 plan. Those parts that no long apply, create a new plan that has optimism as a basic element, and inspire those around you to follow it.
- Build team community online: Accommodate and encourage your people…and hold everyone accountable. Many people have been working remotely for years, but now is the time to build a remote “team community.” Some of our clients are having virtual all-hands meetings and having employees introduce their pets to the team. We are now seeing online team happy hours and lunches. We are all getting a much better idea of the colors we like on our walls and the books on our shelves. We have a new opportunity to share ourselves.
At the same time, creating a team and organization with structure for people has never been more important. How much productive output do you expect from team members, and how is that measured? - Invest in technology/build an online culture to take your business forward. We are fortunate to have built our community and product delivery online throughout the last decade. One of our central products is a suite of proprietary software we developed. Our communication with each other and clients is online, now primarily through Zoom. Our marketing is through contact emails, blogs, zoom and websites in which we stay in contact with you.
We’re fortunate to have a great deal of expertise on running businesses online. That doesn’t mean these times are not presenting huge challenges for us, but we’re on track to survive and thrive.
The one thing I truly believe above all else is that these times will produce a stronger leadership than we have had in several generations. We have seen some of the strongest leadership ever in business and technology. We need stronger, more effective, and younger leadership at every level.
It would be difficult to find a business leader who is not wondering what comes next. The balance between public health and the survival of an economy has leaders in sharp discussion. Right now there is a huge consensus behind closure and social distancing that we must play through. One thing is certain, we’re all together. If we can be of help, please contact us.
