Companies’ Responses to COVID Provide Insights into Handling a Crisis by Shep Hyken

Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash

One of our readers asked me the following question: What is your advice for a company that is struggling during COVID-19? 

I know, we’re all tired of hearing about COVID-19 and the pandemic. However, there is light at the end of this very dark tunnel. We are seeing business in most industries returning to pre-pandemic levels. Still, some companies are still struggling. While some industries and companies flourished throughout the last year, many were forced to a level of flexibility that included major changes, just to barely survive and keep their doors open. 

With that said, the answer I’m about to give applies not only to the last year and COVID-19, but also any time a business experiences negative national and world events, including economic downturns, terrorism, and yes, even global pandemics. 

During tough times of any type, certain businesses struggle. The first reaction of many is to tighten expenses and reduce employees. Some go out of business. Then there are certain industries that may not be impacted. For example, during the pandemic, grocery stores flourished. Certain online retailers, like Amazon, had a banner year. And there are companies that you think would have been impacted, but somehow they did well—and continue to do so. 

So, consider all of that as I share an answer to the original question, which was advice for businesses struggling during COVID-19. 

Start by getting a team together to strategize and share ideas. The conversation should begin with a discussion about the companies you believe had success throughout the pandemic. Again, this could be any major downturn in business due to outside and unforeseen circumstances. What did they do, if anything, that was different than they had done before the pandemic? What do you like—or not like—about the changes they made? 

Then determine if any of these changes can work for your company. It doesn’t have to be exactly the same. Let this list serve as a catalyst to jumpstart creativity to come up with a list of ideas that might work for you. Then once you’ve created this list, don’t just look at it. Work it! Make it happen. The adoption of ideas from the success of others outside of your industry can make you more competitive inside your own industry. 

This is a very short answer to a very big question. And it’s not the only answer. So if you have another answer, we would all love to hear from you. Feel free to share! 

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling business author. His latest book, I’ll Be Back: How to Get Customers to Come Back Again and Again is available for preorder at www.IllBeBackBook.com. For information, contact 314-692-2200 or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs, go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken. This post originally appeared here on Shep Hyken’s Customer Service Blog.

Accountability—“It’s All of Us”—in the Pandemic Era by Sam Silverstein

Photo by Chewy on Unsplash

Accountability is all about commitment, and commitment is all about relationships. Values connect us and strengthen us in deeper and deeper relationships, relationships that keep us moving forward when times are good—and also when times are not so good. Through relationships, we can accomplish a wondrous multitude of things. Never has this been more obvious than now, when our nation and the world is struggling with a global pandemic that has left so many feeling disoriented, alone, and unsupported. 

There are ten core commitments that support accountability, and the one that seems worth discussing today, given where our world is now and what we are all struggling with, is the commitment I call “It’s All of Us.” This is the point of entry, the commitment that truly accountable leaders (and followers) are adopting and sharing at this critical moment. 

When someone commits to “It’s All of Us,” they have an attitude of “We succeed together. We fail together. We are all on this journey together.” When someone who is fully committed to “It’s All of Us” connects with you, they have got your back. You are on the same team. They know that if you look good, everybody looks good. If you look bad, everybody looks bad. They are willing to connect with and support you, in the process of building something that is bigger than either of you are on your own. 

Often, I talk about “It’s All of Us” in the context of team leadership or company leadership, which are vitally important subjects. But equally important now is the commitment of “It’s All of Us” on a global scale. Now, more than ever, it is obvious that we really are all in this together, and we really do need to support each other as human beings, every chance we get. There is no winning team or losing team when it comes to dealing with a crisis like the one we face. We are all in it together. And the best among us will make that commitment and find every possible opportunity to follow through on it—in ways large and small. 

I believe that the small ways to follow through on this critical commitment “It’s All of Us” are just as important as the big ones, and perhaps even more important. Do not wait for the opportunity to do something newsworthy. Everyone has the ability to make a difference in someone else’s life. Everyone has the opportunity to have a positive impact on someone’s day. Everyone has the chance to send the all-important message “We are all in this together; I’ve got your back.” 

Not long ago, a friend told me a story about “We are all in this together” during the age of isolation and social distancing. He was out early one morning walking his dog, who was (and is) a little skittish sometimes. Across the street, a woman wearing a face mask was walking her dog in the other direction. My friend’s dog started barking loudly, which is not an unusual occurrence with this dog. The woman across the street started talking animatedly. She was eager to connect. 

She told my friend that for weeks, she had had a similar problem with her dog. She then explained, at length, what she had done to help the dog calm down on their walks together. She made a number of recommendations about the resources my friend could use to help his dog learn to stop barking at other dogs. 

“Within just a few seconds, I could tell she really needed to talk,” my friend said. “It seemed like it must have been a while since she’d had the chance to talk to someone. Even though my dog was still barking, I decided to stay there as long as I could.” 

With the dog straining against the leash, my friend stood there shouting across a street about dogs to a total stranger, and being shouted at in turn (pleasantly!) for ten minutes. Eventually, the woman across the street wished him and his dog a good day and went her way. As she was leaving, my friend said, “Stay safe.” And meant it. The woman replied, “You too.” 

That was an “It’s All of Us” moment. You do not have to be a team leader or a company leader to have one. And what you do does not have to be something extraordinary. All it has to do is let someone who needs to know that you are both on the same team. 

Today, why not find an opportunity to share an “It’s All of Us” moment with someone who needs it? Help them smile. Help them connect. Help them feel part of something larger than themselves. Help them spread the word: we really are all in this together. 

Sam Silverstein is dedicated to empowering people to live accountable lives, transform the way they do business, and create a more accountable world. He helps companies create an organizational culture that prioritizes and inspires accountability. He is the author of numerous books on accountability, including I Am Accountable: Ten Choices That Create Deeper Meaning in Your Life, Your Organization, and Your World. You can follow Sam on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Returning to the Office after Remote Work? These Strategies Will Help Ease the Transition by Jennifer Janechek

Photo by Albert Chernogorov for StockSnap

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have been working from home for the past couple of months. With restrictions loosening in many states, employees are beginning to return to the office. Although the office environment and team interactions will certainly be different, this article offers strategies not for coping with these changes but rather for making the most of the transition from remote work to in-office work. 

Whether you have loved or hated your recent foray into telecommuting, one thing is for certain: working from home requires a different set of strategies than traditional in-office work. Help ease the transition back to the office with these principles for success:  

1. Set your alarm early enough to protect your self-care time.   
   To be sure, the demands on many of us, especially parents, have been intense in these circumstances, dismissing any illusions of a purely fun-filled #coronacation. However, many of us have found a silver lining in remote work by repurposing our commute time into time to pursue activities that have been missing or underrepresented in our normal lives. Whether it’s spending more time reading, exercising, enjoying a hobby, or simply spending more time with our children, we have been able to engage in life-giving activities to help us cope with uncertainty as well as progress as individuals. Don’t let returning to work end the healthy habits you’ve created. Create protected time in your day for these behaviors by setting your alarm early enough that you can squeeze in a workout, drink your morning coffee while reading a book, etc., before you go to work. That way, you’ll feel refreshed and ready for the day instead of unhappy about being back at work.    

2. Meal prep on Sundays.  
   Part of what makes working in an office stressful is the hustle of actually getting there. Perpetually being in a rush impinges on our work experience, making it feel frenzied. Do as much advance work as you can to ensure you arrive at work with everything you need, including a nutritious lunch. By preparing all your lunches for the week in advance, you’ll feel less rushed, better prepared, and better fueled during your workdays.    

3. Establish a work schedule, but budget in flex time. 
   Remote workers often simultaneously celebrate and lament the fluidity and flexibility of their work arrangements: being able to work at any time can be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, you might have the ability to run an errand in the middle of the day; on the other hand, you might not want to do that because it means working later in the evening and feeling responsible for answering e-mails during non-business hours. Successful remote workers know the value of scheduling their work activities in uninterrupted blocks of time and allowing for short recovery periods to enjoy the perk of flexibility. Translate this tactic into the office setting by scheduling 90-minute chunks of work time followed by 15-minute relaxation periods, as possible (it might not always be). During the recovery periods, you could scroll social media, squeeze in a quick run or power walk session, make a personal call, or attend to other tasks that would help create a better work-life integration for your in-office job scenario.   

4. Connect with family. 
   Yes, it’s been hard to maintain the same productivity levels at home with kids, spouses, and other people and animals requiring our attention, but we’ve grown accustomed to the extra family time, making it an adjustment to go back to working outside the home full time. For many of us, it will be important to talk with family members periodically throughout the day to diminish feelings of loneliness and distance. Use a few of your recovery periods (see strategy #3 above) to call, video chat, or text your kids, spouse—whomever—to stay connected.  

This period of mass remote work has brought its challenges, but it has also brought opportunities for pivoting and reconfiguring our work strategies. As Alyson Van Hooser writes in her forthcoming book Level Up: Elevate Your Game & Crush Your Goals, “Your success depends on your willingness and ability to adapt effectively.” Adapt and thrive in whatever work environment you’re in—check out Sound Wisdom’s titles for personal development and business improvement at https://www.soundwisdom.com/publications.