The coronavirus is rocking the world creating a number of challenges. But the adversity of the situation might unite your team to rise it to its absolute best. And your company may emerge from this incident stronger, more engaged, and more capable than ever before. Creating such conditions calls companies to:
1. reassure and reframe the situation to an engaging one that is inherently less scary and more aspirational without denying the challenges faced and while affirming your corporate values. This will lower the negative energy of “worst-case thinkers”
2. encourage everyone that "we can do it" instilling a positive Energy throughout the organization
3. provide everyone with tips to make "working from home" easy and efficient. Help them master this new situation from getting organized to cracking productivity
4. help people to learn how to work virtually with one another from making intentions clear to being responsive and supportive and not losing touch.
5. Foster trust and collaboration. Trust is at the foundation of cooperative and collaborative. The COVID-19 outbreak offers numerous tests of trust as well as the opportunity to be a hero to associates, customers and communities.
Don’t assume that everyone on your team is aware of potential pitfalls with working from home. Don’t presume that everyone knows how to work efficiently virtually. Don’t forget that trust is built through dialogue and actions, not proclamations and intentions. When better to adopt new ways of working than when you are forced to? When better to demonstrate your loyalty, compassion and commitment to workers, partners and customers? When better to be a good citizen? This situation is a crisis but it is also an opportunity not to underestimate. It forces us to think differently and creatively. How your staff adapt to new ways of working and to virtual teams might raise the company to a new higher standard. How you will lead and act with your employees, customers, partners will have consequences that might create enduring bonds paying long-term dividends. Keep in mind that decisions made and actions taken in trying times resonate far beyond the present!
