What a great time this has been to adjust, learn, and refocus… sometimes good things come from challenges.
It has been so important for companies to focus on their employees and show them how important they are to the organization. Encouraging your employees to better themselves during this time, and understand this is something to always encourage going forward. There are a lot of valuable online learning and workout resources that have been developed and were always there for the taking. Support and encourage your employees getting in shape, staying in shape, and/or educating themselves during this time… learning new skills, studying history, writing a book, learning to cook or add to cooking skills are things that should be encouraged going forward.
And from a business perspective, it’s been a great time to try new things, such as exploring new technology. A friend suggested using private podcasts as a form of employee communication. Inter-office webinars and Zoom meetings have become the norm and are much more effective that in-person office conference room meetings ever were. All of a sudden, companies are being forced to try things that they knew were out there, but might have worried wouldn’t be effective, or would cost them some efficiency. They are trying them and finding that those fears were unfounded… and that in many cases they are substantially more efficient. When this is all over a lot of companies are going to divest of office space and the endless, throughout the day, team meetings. I think many more companies will be open to letting people work remotely going forward. At Photofy we decided to let our office lease expire and all operate remote going forward… not only cost-effective, but our team is closer than ever before. Let your team know that all these things they have been trying and using will not be just for now, but if/when we discover better, or simply alternative way, many of these practices will continue even after the crisis passes.
And last but certainly not least, ENCOURAGE your team to take care of themselves because it’s hard to help others unless you feed your own soul. Take the time to do things that bring you joy, not just now, but always. If you’ve got a family pet, spend quality time with them. Work out at home. Break out that cookbook you haven’t had a chance to get into and make some new recipes. Drink lots of fresh water. Limit your screen time. Walk in nature or in your neighborhood if you can do so. Listen to your favorite music. Practice meditation or prayer. Do things that make YOU happy.
The bottom line is that we can and should take charge of how we react to what’s happening around us that is beyond our control. And the best way to do that is to concentrate on building positive relationships with as many people as possible starting with those closest to you and radiating out from there. Getting back into relationship building is what makes us human and helps all of us deal with crisis. We’re in this together, so let’s concentrate on finding more ways to help each other cope and come out on the other side of this as stronger human beings with stronger relationships… and some great new habits.
So important to close with something I have been saying for years and wraps this all up nicely… *A Brand is what a business (or person) does, a Reputation is what people Remember and Share.*
This was originally on Ted Rubin.
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