We’ve just entered week three being isolated and learned that the measures are likely to continue through at least the end of April. That means we need to plan now and prepare our businesses for success following the coronavirus crisis.
As we look ahead to the next several weeks of potential isolation, we all have a choice to make. We can succumb to the craziness inherent with isolation, or step up and use this time to prepare our businesses to succeed.
I was recently reading Game Changers by author Dave Asprey – a huge thanks Wes Donehue with PUSH Digital for the recommendation!
Asprey interviewed Naveen Jain, who in his words is a serial entrepreneur and billionaire founder of seven companies. During Jain’s interview, Asprey quoted him as saying, “Where is there room for boredom with everything there is to see and learn in the world.”
We may be isolated, but this quote rings true. It’s easy to become inhibited by the day-to-day crazy, but there’s still SO MUCH to learn and solve, and in ways we’ve never seen.
Not to say you aren’t busy – most of us are extremely busy. But just like with working at an office, or whatever your “normal” was, you can dig yourself in to a rut if you’re not careful.
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Well, we are now a society in need, and your business is likely a business in need.
We’re in the midst of ensuring our businesses survive this crisis, and one of the best things you can do is prepare for when this crisis is over. And I have a method that will help you get there:
I am a child of the 80s, so we’ll call it the RADD approach to finding success following the coronavirus crisis.
RADD – Recognize, Adapt, Develop, Deploy
With so much changing, we have to recognize the situation for what it is and take the facts as we have them. Don’t guess or make decisions on what you THINK you know.
Use information and facts to make informed decisions and recognize that this will come to an end at some point and you need to be ready.
Success doesn’t come from being stagnant or will to simply accept that things are the way the are. We need to get creative and learn to adapt to our new normal.
Yes, that new norm is changing every day, but that means we need to be willing to adapt and change with it. Find new ways to reach your customers and make meaningful connections. Look for different ways to deliver your product, or find a new need that your customers are craving.
This crisis is changing the way we do business for the long run, so start adapting now to take advantage of these changes later.
We’re living in the moment and day-to-day to manage this crisis. But, it’s possible to live in this moment and still plan for the future.
Make sure you take the time to develop your plans for how your business will capitalize on the growth period following this crisis. Think long terms and conduct your business planning now so you can maximize your opportunities later, just like you did when you started that business.
How you develop your plans changes from business to business and industry to industry, but make the commitment now to invest that time and those resources to make it happen.
Remember, a lot of amazing businesses came out of the last recession, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t be a success story from this one.
Don’t let the fear of this crisis paralyze you from getting out there and executing your program. You can’t wait to activate your plans until we start to come out of this crisis. By then, it will be too late.
Yes, you need to be strategic and realize this is a different world than it was just a few weeks ago, but there’s still room to activate to you set your business up for success.
We’ll be going into greater detail about each of these in the coming weeks with more advice on finding success following the coronavirus crisis, so stay tuned. But, put these steps in to practice and you’ll start setting yourself up for success as we get through this crisis.
Here are some additional resources for your crisis planning efforts as you adapt to your new worlds:
– There’s Still Time To Communicate During the Coronavirus Crisis
– Isolation Is Actually Connecting Us In Meaningful Ways
– Is Pitching Media A Good Idea During COVID-19?
– Internal Communications During A Crisis
– The Art & Science Of Making A Public Apology
– A Meaningful Message, Or Pandering Without Purpose
– Tips For Working From Home As Your New Normal
And here are some additional blogs to help with your strategic communications planning:
– Pitching Media Like The Pros
– 7 Tips for Successful Media Interviews
– Don’t Let Perfect Be The Enemy Of Effective
– Wake Up. Kick Ass. Repeat.
– How to Create Content That Engages Audiences and Builds Brand Trust Quickly
– 7 Tips to Measure Your Strategic Communications Campaigns
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