I managed to avoid mentioning coronavirus or Covid-19 in the title but it sets the context for this piece. This week has been unprecedented, and the current situation seems to be one of much uncertainty, confusion and a mass of information that if read out of context feeds more uncertainty.
As a coach and business consultant I thought it might be helpful to provide a simple 3Cs framework – Context, Clarity, Change - to help people think and react over the next few months. The brain likes logic, and a framework like this helps you to gather your thoughts and plan a response in what might be testing times. It works even better if you write it out on paper. Personally, I’d recommend starting a new journal or pad as you’ll be updating things as the situation evolves.
Context
For now, in the UK follow the government advice https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus. This contains all relevant and updated information from across government such as health information, business stimulus information and any other advice relating to travel and self-isolation. Check in with a credible news source for relevant updates but limit your access. This is a fast-moving pandemic and the situation will change rapidly. It’s worth remembering that although we are all in this together, individually the context has a very different meaning for all of us and is shifting constantly.
Clarity
Stop and think through what you can do for you, your family, your job / business and your customers right now. Prepare immediate and staggered projected financial forecasts either personal and / or business related (work on this lasting 3-6 months so you are prepared). If needs be contact your bank, any lenders, landlord/s, supply chains and customers as appropriate; early and clear communication is key. As the context changes. work through your response and understanding of it as it relates to you and / or your business. You’ll need to set and reset at key stages. Even if you’re not immediately impacted do this anyway, as the business impact will continue long after the initial shock. Its better to have worked through a plan calmly and track it so that you can respond as and when needed.
Change
This is a time for reassessment and transition. You have an opportunity to learn develop and grow during this time. The ripple effect of this global pandemic will continue long after the current first shock wave. The way you do business might need to completely pivot and change. Depending on your circumstances the skills, business processes, supply chains and products or services you have may be useful, or pretty much redundant, right now and for the foreseeable future. Actively participating in your personal development will make a massive difference to you and your family and to your economic opportunities post crisis. You may need to support yourself, family members, friends and co-workers remembering that different people will respond differently to change.
Finally, take this situation seriously and respond accordingly. Now is not the time to binge watch TV but to assess and reassess your current role and / or business. This is the time to learn, develop, adapt and adjust to a new environment. It’s useful to be reminded of Charles Darwin’s full quote about survival:
‘According to Darwin’s Origin of Species, it is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself.’ [1]
We are all in this together; some will feel the shock immediately, others later, but no one is going to be untouched. I’ll be posting a slightly longer view separately. In this, I’ll go into a bit more depth and cover how individuals respond to change and what we need to look out for to support each other.
Regards Andrew Ramwell
This article first appeared on Andrew’s LinkedIn page.
[1] Megginson, ‘Lessons from Europe for American Business’, Southwestern Social Science Quarterly (1963) 44(1): 3-13.