It’s been a privilege to catch up with clients over the past week to see how leaders have risen to the challenge their businesses face. So calm, proactive, positive and optimistic. Not deluded though. Exactly what the wider population needs.
Most of the positive psychology authors, including Goleman, Covey, Seligman and others, highlight the importance of the “gap”. The gap is the space between stimulus and response. Primal behaviour defaults to “fight, flight or freeze” in this gap, but we have the ability to choose a considered and probably more effective response to an external event.
My clients have been focusing on short and medium term cashflow forecasts, writing to suppliers about payment terms (banks, landlords, HMRC, etc.), running daily “state of the nation” broadcasts to their colleagues and employees, quickly getting everyone working from home where possible and proactively contacting all customers to offer help and advice.
These behaviours encourage employees to lead as well. Some have offered to run Zoom webinars for other staff for learning purposes. Many have written to their building societies or landlords and asked for moratoria on payments – they recognise they need to do their bit and that Government and employers can’t be expected to carry the whole financial burden.
Many are reinventing ways of productising their offer in different ways – like, for example, the fitness coaches posting online video tutorials.
Now is a time that needs exemplary leadership. I am learning great new ideas from my clients every day and anyone who would like to learn more will know how to reach me.
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