***A message for LEADERS ONLY regarding Covid-19 (Coronavirus)***
Again, if you are NOT in a leadership position
OR you are a NOT a leader in your own life,
this message is NOT for you.
IF YOU ARE A LEADER, please continue reading.
I got an email this morning from a potential client, someone I’ve been building a relationship with in efforts to do work with their company.
We’ve been working together to create a series of global talks, workshops and coaching for their company/executives.
This company is BIG. Probably well over 100 million in annual revenue.
Our relationship is excellent and I’m sure we’ll work together in the future, however they wrote me to let me know they had to put our plans on hold as a result of them currently navigating fears, hysteria and challenges relating to Covid-19 (Coronavirus).
I told them “I completely understand your challenges, it’s a very large organization. If I can offer any help in the duration, either issuing a message to the team, or helping to allay fears/build moral please let me know. My primary value is BEING OF SERVICE, so whatever needs to be fixed, let’s work together to fix it.”
Their reply to me was “To be honest, I really don’t know what needs to be fixed?!?!”
My response was response:
“I feel your I don’t know. It’s a completely understandable “I don’t know.” That said, in being of service, I’d like to offer you my “I Don’t Know” Manifesto
—
The “I Don’t Know” Manifesto
I don’t know what problem to fix:
Is it Sales?
Is it Marketing?
Is it Finance?
Is it Customer Service?
Is it Advertising?
Is it the C-Suite, Management or Employees?
Is it (insert cities they are in)???
What do I need to fix?
I don’t know! Honestly…I don’t know.
Or maybe…
Maybe the “I don’t know” is also the SOLUTION.
Maybe, just maybe, the solution is STANDING in the “I Don’t Know” and teaching EVERYONE how to stand in it as well.
How are we gonna get CREATIVE in the “I Don’t Know”
How do we handle uncertainty in the “I Don’t Know”?
My offering to you and to all of us is that there is a virus at play BIGGER than Covid-19. It’s “I Don’t Know”
Because “I Don’t Know” has stopped more innovation and progress than “We Got This Figured Out”
Teams, Staff, Management, Executives, we need to SIT in the “I Don’t Know”, STAND from the “I don’t know” and BUILD in the “I don’t know”.
Then we must transition from the “I don’t know” to “Here’s what we’re gonna DO!”
So my question to you, teams, staff, employees, friends, family…what is your “Here’s what I’m gonna do!”
What is Marketing gonna do,? Are they gonna call all clients directly on the phone, send emails and text messages and ask them their fears, let them know you hear them and allay their concerns?
What is finance gonna do? Is it working with clients hurting financially and making creative payment strategies keeping an eye on long term relationships, exhibiting how you unflappably stand in your values even when things (I wanted to say shyt) get tough?
What is advertising gonna do? Is it working with clients, and local governments using available space that may have been occupied by paid ads as an opportunity to educate and mitigate the hysteria. Do you build social equity by helping be a part of the solution?
What are executives gonna do? Is it realizing that our stock investment during this time is investing in human capital and while everyone else runs…you double down on values, beliefs and long term growth?
Is it empowering teams with questions like:
What resources do you need?
What is your action plan?
What is your contingency plan?
What is your contingency plan’s contingency plan?
What are employees gonna do? When it comes to “Team Moral” do you resort to “complaints” and “water cooler gossip” in the “I don’t know,” dropping teams into negative chatter or is will your entire daily allotment of energy become helping people solve problems within the “I don’t know”. Can you bring the team together AND use this as your chance to show your leadership skills, to display to upper management that this is the moment when you thrive.
Most importantly, as LEADERS, is your, our and MY commitment to leadership during the “I don’t know” non-negotiable? Is my commitment that I will firmly STAND in the “I don’t know”…and BUILD, INNOVATE, and REALIZE that this temporary dip is a set up for our greatest year of growth EVER!
Thriving doesn’t mean more money…it means…MORE CREATIVITY
Cause if that’s YOUR “I don’t know”
That’s MY “I don’t know”
SO, my question to you (and your teams)
What are you gonna do?
—
The concerns and impact around Coronavirus are REAL and MASSIVELY affecting people, companies and teams GLOBALLY.
My question, from a leader to the leaders reading this message…
I get that you’re affected, completely AND
“What are you gonna do about it?”