The fightback against a global economy ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic begins in your practice.
Over this past week we have seen business owners talking and sharing like never before. Facebook groups have sprung up, WhatsApp groups are alive with discussion and last week saw a truly heart-warming initiative, with nearly 1,000 practice owners from a range of organisations joining together.
I won’t attempt to give you my take on what you may or may not do during this crisis as things are changing by the hour.
Instead I will concentrate on what practical steps I believe you can take to help make the best decisions you possibly can as a leader of your business or team.
Communicate, communicate, communicate
In situations like this there is no such thing as too much communication. People need reassurance and to understand that, even if you don’t have the answers, you are working on it. Keeping people up to date with the latest position, even if it will probably change, will give your people the confidence you are taking the necessary actions.
Listen actively to understand
The people you lead will have genuine concerns about what the future holds. They will be anxious and worried. Spend time with your people, both together and in one-to-ones, so that you can really understand their challenges and issues. Now is not a time to make assumptions or second guesses about how people may be feeling, but to listen actively and really focus on understanding how they are feeling.
Select information sources with care
If you are making decisions based on people’s lives, it is essential to make sure that you are getting correct information; that means understanding your sources. A simple post on social media or through a chat room can gather so much traction that it ends up being considered as fact.
Choose your sources carefully and if you receive information from a third party, seek verification before sharing or using what may be fake news.
Use peers within and outside your profession
When you signed up to run your own business or lead a team, nobody told you that this crisis was going to happen. It can be lonely at the top and the importance of peer support to help you make the right decisions is even more essential.
Join some of the many groups already offering support from within our profession, as well as seeking support from local business or networking groups.
Find a mentor
If you can talk through your decisions with someone without a vested interest apart from your success, you will feel far more confident when making those decisions. If you do not have a mentor, call up someone who helped you in the past, perhaps a previous boss or someone you trust. Ask them if they will give you 30 minutes of their time, so that you can sense check some of your thoughts and ideas.
Perhaps think about who can you help? If you know people who may be struggling with decisions and could do with some support, perhaps it is time for you to offer some time to help others?
Be the best you can be
It is at times like these there are no right and wrong decisions. Every decision you make in a crisis is a judgement call, taken with a combination of head, heart and gut. Be the best version of yourself you can be and stay true to your values and purpose, the reason why you do what you do in the first place.
Last week I ended my column by asking you to consider what you would write in your 80th birthday speech. I asked you to imagine you were 80 years old and looking back on your life, recalling the various successes and failures. On whom did you have a lasting impact? What would they say about you? How would you like to be remembered?
This week I would say go one step further. Take that speech and visualise yourself delivering it. Are you sitting or standing? What is the venue? How many people are there? Who made an extra special effort to get there?
Then think about the section where you reminisce on the year of the coronavirus. What actions did you take that helped your people and your business to get through it and out the other side.
Lastly, what did you learn about yourself and how did it change you? When things went back to ‘normal’, what did you not go back to doing that you were doing before?
Until next month – stay safe.