These past months have been chaotic, talk about a steep learning curve! We have found ourselves in a surreal time that is sometimes eerie, sometimes exciting, and sometimes downright scary. Yet the spotlight on learning is shining brighter than ever.
There is so much to learn right now about everything to do with our business. Ourselves, our team, consumer behavior, technology … honestly the learning never ends! Those adapting and evolving are the ones making learning a priority, and they’re the ones that are going to make it out the other side stronger than ever.
“Formal education will make you a living. Self education will make you a life” Jim Rohn
This period of upheaval is survival of the fittest, if ever I’ve seen it. Despite this, if you think of it as an opportunity to learn some lessons, you’ll do nothing but grow and grow. I myself am continuing to learn, so I would like to share five lessons that I have taken from this lockdown.
Humans are vulnerable:
The first lesson is that humans are really vulnerable. Oh my goodness, it’s been a roller coaster! We can feel so isolated one minute, then suddenly really connected when we’re all sharing a zoom call. We can feel optimistic one moment, then really terrified the next. We’re just so vulnerable. Our environment is really volatile right now and we are all really feeling it. So yeah, let’s go ahead and acknowledge that, and give ourselves permission to be human amidst all of these challenging times.
Connections are everything:
Connections are absolutely everything. I know from experience that when we’re feeling quite distant from each other, it can be a struggle. It just goes to show how much comfort we gain from the warm fuzzies of encouragement and support we get from others. This kind of comfort comes from us connecting and being connected to each other. Our friends and our family really do mean the world right now. So I think we should take some time to acknowledge it, really shine a light on it, it’s so important.
Staff don’t magically know what to do:
The third thing is that staff don’t magically know what to do. I’ve had quite a few conversations with business owners, who are scratching their heads thinking “How do I get my staff to do what they need to do when I’m not there?” It is really difficult to bridge that gap, and yet, your staff need it. Your staff will not magically know what to do. You need to provide them with instruction, support and the resources to keep them working.
A resilient business is flexible and agile:
The next thing I’ve learned is that resilient businesses are the flexible and agile ones. The businesses that think on their feet and jump at opportunity flexible are the ones that are doing really well right now. They have learned that it’s about pivoting quickly. It’s about being responsive and it’s about being creative. To be willing to jump in and take a risk, but also having the resources and the systems to support that risk taking. That is where resilience really comes from.
A good system can grow to infinite capacity:
The last thing that I’ve learned is that a good system is one that can grow to infinite capacity. There are a lot of businesses that are really stretched right now. Working within safe boundaries and with less pressure has meant they had no need to change. Suddenly there are new challenges, and the old way they did things has not adapted as needed. So it is really important to develop systems that can evolve with new challenges, and allow the business to grow despite them.
Jim Rohn gave a really great quote that I’d like to finish up with: “formal education will make you a living, self education will make you a life.” I think right now you could go off to university and study how to do business and life, or you could just roll up your sleeves and live it. Go out and learn the lessons that you need to learn along the way. Be reflective, be open minded, be connected to each other and continue to learn.
