Monday March 16, 2020 Word of the day FOCUS
Balancing Panic and Planning
While everything around you may be in flux, you still need to run your business. FOCUS on what you do best and who you serve
Some things have changed significantly in the past 5 days. Some things have not changed.
There will be enough challenges to deal with, don’t borrow from the future, this is always true in business.
DO NOT CREATE PROBLEMS THAT DON’T EXIST
How do you balance panic and planning?
Go back to your goal for 2020, your strategy for the next 3 years, your big picture dreams. What has changed that impacts these today?
As a nation we will get through this, how and when is anybody’s guess right now. Manage your little piece of the world.
1. COMMUNICATION
Clients / Customers Get a direct communication out to your regulars, today. Let them know of any change in hours, or delivery of services or products. Do not add to their fears with projections of the future if you do not have solid information to go on. Offer them support if you can, resources if appropriate, and hope for a brighter tomorrow in any way you can
Staff Same as clients, be sure you know who will be impacted by school closures and what they may need from you. Who has family they care for who may be in a high-risk group? Let them know you plans as they are right now for staying the course and business as close to normal as possible.
Vendors If they have not contacted you, contact them. Confirm the deliver of necessary items and discuss any payment arrangements that may need to be made due to uncertain revenue in the next month. Line up alternative vendors wherever possible
General Public Use the social media we are all watch way too much for good. Help bring comfort, resources, humor, peace to others in a way only you can. As a business leader, you are a community leader so lead.
2. PLAN
Do not change your long-term goals. Adjust the day to day activities as needed based on the current demand for your products and resources available.
The daily and weekly planning most of you have already been doing, keep doing it. Now is not the time to be winging-it with your business.
Make intentional, ‘above the line’, decisions. Take Ownership over what you can do, Be Accountable for the results you are getting and what you are offering, and Responsible for the actions you take, or don’t take.
Help others move above the line. When chaos ensues, it is natural for people to go ‘below the line” Blaming others for the situation they are in. Making Excuses for what they are not doing. Denial around how they can impact change, or even Denial of the seriousness of this pandemic.
3. LIMIT THE NEWS
It is important to know what is really going on. Schools are closing, businesses have limited resources. This is real and you want to be aware of it as you do your communicating and planning
Then TURN OFF THE NEWS CHANNELS. You cannot click on any major TV network or social media platform without a barrage of CoVid-19 news. We do need to know what is going on AND we need to do so in balanced way. When you hear the same story repeatedly your brain goes into overwhelm. When you hear different versions of the same story repeatedly your brain shuts down.
Be smart, follow the rules as they exist right now, they will change. And then be you.
Love your people, run your business, take care of yourself. As a business leader you are a community leader, step up into that role. Most of us do not have a platform we can influence the whole world from. We can and must influence the world we live in.
Offer the help you can, help to maintain a culture of calm awareness, and keep living your life. This is what a strong leader does when chaos shows up. You know this, you have worked through many times of chaos within your own business, this is a much bigger scale of chaos. If we all do what we can, we will all be okay.
We have started a new facebook group to give us another place for encouragement, best practices, and connection.
Join us today at www.Facebook.com/groups/performanepartnerscommunity and on our Performance Partners Community website www.PerformancePartnersCoaching.com/community
Daily tips and tools, support from other business leaders and experts.
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