Now that the initial panic is over and the dust is starting to settle (slightly), we are left wondering what’s next. The people we usually turn to for answers and insights, do not have them; this means we must stick with what we DO know.
Humans are resistant to change.
Change is inevitable, but we humans are creatures of habit and are resistant to it. Things are and will continue to be different, but you have more time than you think; you do not need to come up with answers overnight. You will learn and adapt as consumers do, there will be an ebb and flow necessary to survive. My suggestion is to learn to love riding the incoming tides.
You cannot move forward if you are standing still.
Fear, panic, and the unknown can be crippling, and this is not the time sit, waiting out the storm, hoping everything will return to normal once it passes.
It is beneficial, as a business, and in life, to operate in a proactive state. Unfortunately, with so many changes happening every day, the last three weeks caused us all to be in reactive mode. For the foreseeable future, until science can catch up and more realistic projections based on actual data can be made, businesses will live in various points between reactive and proactive.
Preparation is key.
How do we prepare and get proactive when so much is unknown? We review and reflect: what worked, what didn’t, and what can we do better? Look at the problem from all angles, and prepare for multiple outcomes; this is not as daunting as it may seem, this forced slowdown has given us the gift of more time. Evaluate, research, brainstorm, collaborate, plan, and prepare. Keeping in mind, you will have to remain nimble, that your strategy will need to be tweaked to deal with the exact scenario unfolding before you, but the wave will not seem as daunting, it will not knock you off your feet because you saw it coming and braced for impact.
Written by Theo Smith
