This week’s events reinforce the pandemic’s severe impact on our country. If there ever was an illusion that this would go away by itself, or that testing without a distancing protocol and masks would be enough, that has been blown away by the super spreader event in the White House Rose Garden. We must proceed as if……
Proceed as if:
We are all at risk,
the economy will be like this or worse as the small businesses close for lack of customers,
the big companies have layoffs which affect all of their suppliers,
we shop from home,
we work from home or are carefully spaced and masked at work,
and there will be no more relief from Washington.
We are clearly in a recession that probably won’t recover until at least 2023. Corporate and mid-level management jobs are beginning to be cut.* I know I sound like Debby Downer here but let’s get real. This is just data. How we respond is critical. If we proceed as if this will be our world for the next year, what do we need to do to be wildly successful?
What’s our mindset?
What do we need to let go of?
What do we know we can start doing that we haven’t done yet?
What are 1-3 things that we have said we didn’t want to do that we need to reconsider?
Maybe, it is invest in new software, or start a new division, or drop product lines or drop a division that has been losing money. It is time folks to make the really tough decisions. Let’s prune the dead wood and plant new seeds.
And, if it will mean letting go of “our most important resource — our people” be generous. In some sectors, they may get swooped up in a good job. In others, they may be sitting on the sidelines for a long time.
Proceed as if it is your responsibility to be resilient as an individual and as a leader in your organization. Seize the opportunity.
*The pandemic recession has just begun
Photo from Minaret Ridge, Mammoth, Ca. looking towards the Minarets and Yosemite.