The first wave of COVID-19 is crashing toward shore. If, and how many more, waves will follow during the coming years is anyone’s guess, but one thing is certain: the freedoms we once enjoyed may be changed forever. What will be the new normal? What will a virus-phobic world society look and feel like? I imagine we’ll make it up as we go based on our comfort levels.
Before we go further down the path, we need to answer an important question, because it will influence every decision that shapes the new normal. The question: how much risk are we willing to live with for the quality of life and freedoms we desire? If we don’t decide this up front, I’d bet we will make decisions, pass laws, and enact guidelines that drive us toward 100% safety and zero risk policies. And who doesn’t want total safety; it’s a feel-good place to be. But what’s the cost in quality of life, suppression of personal freedoms, sacrifice of privacy, and financial livelihoods?
If we decide how much risk we’re willing to live with, it will make it much easier to make important decisions in work and leisure. Some of the questions that businesses are wrestling with include:
- How many people will be allowed on an elevator at one time?
- Who, when, and how should employees be screened before entering the office? And what about visitors?
- Will the much-dreaded cubicle concept finally be taken out by COVID as opposed to the research which showed how it cost businesses much more than it saved?
- How much sanitation is enough to protect employers from employee lawsuits claiming the company was negligent in providing a safe work environment?
- Where, when, and for how long will face masks be mandatory? Will we be required to wear them so much, they become fashion apparel much like a men’s necktie or women’s jewelry?
- How many people will be allowed to congregate in the break room or have lunch together?
- How will these policies be enforced?
- What’s the repercussions for violators to policies?
Some of these may seem like tongue-in-cheek questions, but are they really? If COVID-19 is not one-and-done, but a virus we live with and have to mitigate as part of our world fabric, we need to get serious in asking ourselves the tough question. How much are we willing to give up in our lives and for what level of protection?
About the Author: Sandra Dillon is a professional life coach with an extensive background in leadership and business consulting. She has a passion to help people be the hero of their own life stories. She administers assessments, designs and facilitates workshops, and coaches both individuals and teams. You can learn more about Sandra or engage her as your coach by reaching out to her at coach.sandra.dillon@gmail.com or by visiting her website at www.shinecrossings.com
However, it’s important to understand what a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10 might look like if you were to achieve a 100% responsibility mindset. You wouldn’t blame, criticize, or even complain. Why? Because when you do, you’re ultimately saying there’s something you know is better that you’re not willing to go after.
If your personal resilience could be characterized by an animal, what animal would you be? Would you’d be the stereotypical male lion, who waits for his pride to bring him what he needs and would likely starve to death, if not for the hunting skills of the lionesses. Or perhaps you’re more like a gecko, who detaches its tail when grabbed by a predator, runs, and then grows it back within weeks. I’d like to think that my personal resilience is more like the common backyard animal—the squirrel.
People can learn from the behaviors of squirrels. They have an incredible amount of resilience which probably explains why we see more than we care to in our own yards. What mindset area could you work on improving that would help you become more resilient?
COVID-19 has been a kick in the butt for many businesses. Some are not sure if they will make it. Others have tightened down the hatches and believe they can ride out the storm. Others are actively pursuing new opportunities to thrive on the other side. Remember the old saying: “Never let a crisis go to waste.”
The sales team is the frontline to revenue generation. When a crisis comes, and COVID-19 has certainly been a global business tsunami, the big question is: “How will the salesforce respond as customers cancel orders or stop purchasing.” Most will initially respond by hanging their heads low, throwing their hands up in the air, or mumbling there’s little they can do—a form of paralysis. Their leaders drive on self-preservation decisions and focus their energy on cost cutting in the form of furloughs or layoffs. These organizational responses divert the focus away from the customer, and customers are the only way a business will survive and thrive through the crisis.
Communicate, communicate, and communicate. Best practice communication tactics leave people feeling better as opposed to worse. COVID-19 has the general population fear levels at all-time highs: fear of getting the virus, losing a job, plummeting 401Ks, and not being allowed to visit loved ones who are dying or sick. Leaders, who focus on empathetic listening, truth-telling, and more frequent communication during times of crisis, will win over the hearts and minds of the people they lead.
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