Alan Adler

From my observation of businesses and their leaders, from a 30,000 ft. level, I see many leaders connecting the dots. Regardless of the type of business, the pandemic is influencing changes to occur.

The best leaders are demonstrating, empathy in all their actions because, “in the past few months, the entire world has had a near-death experience,” says Ken Dychtwald, of Age Wave.  Ken goes on to say, “We’re being forced to stop and think — I could die or someone I love could die. When those things happen, people think about what they will do differently.”

How are you going to manage your business through the perils of this evolving environment?

I suggest creating a plan. A plan forces you to think about the product or service your business offers. Consider what is involved in the sales/order capture, creation, and delivery! Then determine which touchpoints need to change to thrive in this COVID-19 environment.

Although the priority and sequence of changes will be different for each type of business. Having a plan will help to figure out what needs to change, why, how, and when. When your plan is documented, I encourage sharing it with others. Show your plan to a business coach, shareholders (including employees, customers, vendors, and other partners). Ask them for their “fresh eyes,” suggestions, comments, and changes.

“The way people manage their time, through the pandemic, will separate many winners from losers,” says Clinical Psychologist and Time Management Expert, Dr. Carol Armstrong, Dr. Armstrong says “underestimating the time for tasks is the number one mistake people make when trying to manage it.” She suggests “whenever estimating the time it will take to do a task, multiply it by two.”

Every point-to-point trip does not have to be an agonizing decision. Whether by car, for a local meeting, or an overnight trip that you used to fly to. Fortunately, the stars have aligned between bandwidth and technology to make those decisions less painful. Zoom is the new meeting venue of choice!

Now is not the time to question the value of purchasing a new computer. It takes a fast, modern, well-running computer, with easy internet access, and plenty of storage to keep your business-head above water. And do not be intimidated by technology. If you do not know how to do something, there are always courses available online.

Anything that can be done to ensure the safety of your employees, customers, and environment should be used as “bragging points.” Everyone wants to believe that others are looking out for their safety. So, brag about things like you or others working from home, or how frequently office/customer equipment is disinfected.

We live and work during a time that sees multiple competing generations in and outside the workplace. Remember, each generation has their own unique way of looking at things. And often what may work for Millennials will not work for Baby-boomers and vice versa.

So, even from 30,000 feet, I can tell you that managing a business is tough. Remember, what it was like back-in-the-day when things were “normal.” I hope these suggestions help you sort out what is important for your business!