Try as we might, for most of us it’s impossible to say we’re continuing ‘business as usual’. The reality is, we’re affected much more than just how it’s put new challenges on our businesses.
We all want to maintain a business as usual approach, no, we need to…but is it possible in this current crisis? No. Why? Because so many people we rely on and so many people who rely on us are facing their own obstacles. Part of the issue might be so far detached from us personally but because of the gravity of the situation we’re facing, it is affecting us all.
So, yes. Many of us are still running the office, albeit it is cyber right now. We’re all still answering calls, responding to emails, networking, grinding, working hard, but it isn’t business as usual. Though it is the current new normal, for now.
Don’t despair, just because things aren’t as we are used to, doesn’t mean we can’t make the best of this situation.
Nothing changes when it comes to your business’s mission, vision and values. Your plans to grow, innovate and succeed does not change. Your employee’s passion for their work, your aims to help people and your motivation should remain the same. It’s just your approach that needs to change.
A good business plan should have plans put in place in ‘worst-case scenario’ situations. We’re not sure how useful it is here because if this virus has taught us anything, it’s that solutions for problems are not a one size fits all situation. Good on you for being prepared, but this is what your business needs to be doing right now.
The way you’ve been handling business. Well, that needs to change. You need to bring everything you do during this time back to basics. Put some humanity back into what you’re doing. If you’re sending emails, do so with kindness. Put aside your business agenda, put aside competition and think about where everyone’s minds are right now.
People are inherently emotional, now we’re not saying crying their eyes out, sobbing on the floor emotional (though if you’re like that, that’s okay too). In this time of great uncertainty, people are feeling vulnerable, unsafe, scared and alone, amongst a heap of other stress-inducing things. So be careful in your approach, be mindful of what you’re saying, who you’re saying it to and how you’re saying it.
Before you send that email to clients asking if you can schedule a call with them, even though you haven’t spoken to them in over a year, think about how appropriate it is.
In this time, it should be all about positivity, thought inducing and activity based on bringing together communities. The information we should be sharing should be personal, lighthearted and relatable. Don’t flood inboxes and timelines full of doom and gloom news or your latest deals. The world can’t handle it right now and you’d be wasting your time.
If you really want to help your business survive this rollercoaster, hear our words. Just be present. Be here, be in the trenches with all of us. Don’t practice your competitive personality. Be human. Go on social media and share fun things, bring light into your circle because hopefully if you do that enough, then those members of your circle will go out to their own circles and pass that sentiment on.
Right now, your business won’t survive if you work ‘business as usual’ because all those webinars, conferences and training we’ve been on, where we’ve been told how to be aggressive and fight for what we want. Well, none of those things applies right now, people want to feel safe and as a business, employee, employer, human…you need to do your part in bringing some more positivity into the world.
ABL Recruitment team
