As the days at home extend, there are many suggestions out there about how to fill your former social time: binge-watching tv shows, tackling new exercise regimes or hobbies or taking on that endless home to-do list. But what about the business day? We are all adjusting and adapting — and wondering what our organizations will look like (or even if they’ll still be around) when this is over.
For individuals, doing the right thing means protecting each other by staying apart. But the business community will need to protect each other by coming together because the economic impact of this virus is going to hit hard for months to come. It’s truly ironic that during a crisis where breaking the chain of transmission is critical for personal survival, NOT breaking the business chain is critical for economic survival.
Wondering how to keep that chain intact? Here’s a simple thought: pick 3-5 of your business contacts, and just reach out to them. Forget about pitching anything but basic human kindness. Ask how their company is handling this new reality, what they’re hopeful about, what they worry about. Share your concerns, hopes, and challenges, too. Maybe some great ideas will come out of it — like sharing a post detailing their restaurant’s take-out service or discovering a better virtual meeting solution.
At Visible Impact, our clients are reaching out for help to assess the best ways they can keep providing important insights to their audiences during this crisis. As we help them continue their journey, they are helping us continue ours, and that of their clients — and the tide pools spread outward. It’s that inextricable link at work.
So for now, let’s keep the ideas coming. Reach out and help each other maintain actionable creativity. Don’t let things grind to a halt. And if you’re unsure about how to pivot or tackle a specific challenge, consider leveraging our team’s assistance. The skills we’ve honed over the years — driving consensus through conversation, refining messages, and accelerating execution — are incredibly useful when navigating a crisis. We look at it like this: we may have to stay six feet apart, but we’re definitely all in this together. And if we stay connected now, it will be easier to right the ship when this global challenge has passed.
See you in the Hangout. Or Zoom room, Teams call Skype, RingCentral, 8×8 . . . well, you get the idea. But see you we will. In the meantime, we’re sending a virtual elbow bump in your direction, and an invitation to say hello.
