Surviving 2020
By: Israel Mallett
Tags: Marketing, Business, Planning, Strategy

Lessons from a Pop Down Year

Even before the year began many plans were made for progress, success and change, far beyond the regular new year’s resolutions. 2020 promised to be a year for a fresh start, a reset button and a launching pad for many new ventures, whether professional or personal.

No one could imagine that this year could have been as difficult as it became but as we close out the year and look back on 2020, 2019 suddenly doesn’t seem quite so bad.

January began with BREXIT, and in the back of our minds COVID was now getting a name, but for the most part just affecting mostly China and the Asian subcontinent. It was nothing for us in the West, or the rest of the world to worry about….yet.

Devastating bushfires razed 47 million acres of land in Australia killing nearly 3 billion animals and taking 34 human lives. We went from departures from the British Monarchy to the sudden and saddening death of a basketball legend to the attempted impeachment of the most controversial American president in modern history. Floods and locusts plagued several countries across Africa and the Middle East and just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, a global pandemic was announced amidst tense fears and uncertainty, which still loom, on March 16, 2020.

Within weeks the world came to a standstill. Barbados went into lockdown on March 28th and we had to adjust, in some instances poorly, to long lines at the supermarket, restricted personal movement, and make use of telecommuting for business and education. Industries such as tourism and construction ground to a halt locally. We Gatherin’ 2020 had to be severely scaled back and many events cancelled as large public gatherings were no longer considered safe. Personal freedoms we had once taken for granted were now being suppressed; the airline and travel industries around the world dried up and the global stock market went into a free fall. What was a health crisis turned into a global economic pandemic.

Protectionism rose to the fore as countries began to hoard PPE supplies, ventilators and other necessary medical supplies. We saw some of the best and the worst of human nature. While front line workers across industries were busy putting their lives on the line to ensure essential services continued unabated, greed reared its ugly head as people also began to hoard food, supplies, and oddly toilet paper, which still is a puzzlement to this day.

But all wasn’t doom and gloom. Businesses, governments, educational institutions and households were forced to pivot to stay alive, to stay relevant.

Out of job losses came a rise in independent businesses in creative ways. Many businesses fearful of going online now had no choice but to get with the times and develop or simply pay more attention to their online presence. Delivery of services, both literal and figurative now became much more important. Classrooms were forced to become virtual and embrace technology that was previously considered disruptive. Governments had to find ways and means of providing services in a more digital space and advance plans of doing this ahead of schedule.

What COVID-19 taught us is that more is possible than we actually realise; that positive change, while difficult, is necessary and pays off in the long run.

In Barbados, our hospital was protected from incoming COVID-19 cases. The Accident and Emergency department was closed to any related health issues that may present as COVID and visits to that department and to the hospital were severely limited and in some cases stopped altogether. Mandatory quarantine facilities were put in place for those who tested positive, not relying on them to self-isolate at home. These measures proved invaluable to limiting the spread of COVID-19 in Barbados. Despite some of its issues, our health system and its structure work.

In the post-lockdown era we are learning that different business models can be more effective than traditional methods. Blended learning, and flexible office hours have become more commonplace and can influence a more effective economy. Employers have had to learn to trust that employees can be responsible for their time and their tasks without micro-managing their processes.

With all of the difficulties, lessons and opportunities given to us by circumstances in 2020, many are ready for it to be over and are anxiously awaiting 2021 with eager anticipation. But if there is any lesson that 2020 has taught us is to expect the unexpected. Be nimble and flexible, be ready to pivot, and be prepared for things to not go according to plan. Do we not set goals because of uncertainty? Quite the contrary. We must set goals for 2021 and beyond but set them taking into consideration that we are living in a world in flux. Things can change at any moment.

We have reached the point of having a COVID vaccine. That’s awesome. But COVID-19 was not the only globe-spanning issue in 2020. Riots sparked by the George Floyd killing spread around the world as many communities and demographics showed solidarity with movements in the US.

BREXIT will be coming into effect and taking shape more in 2021, with trade and bilateral agreements creating new economic avenues as Britain again seeks to stand on its own on the global trade and economic stage. Economies will be in recovery mode as nations and markets seek to pick up the pieces after a devastating blow. Will global tourism be resuscitated given the advent of a vaccine? How will health and safety and quarantine protocols change international travel and business?

Aided by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, world economies are in free fall and stock markets are reeling. 2021 will see a year of recovery, reshaping and reorganising of the global trade and business landscape. Major players may cease to exist as they fail to be nimble enough to make necessary changes while newer, smaller entities may rise to the challenge and fill market gaps we never knew existed.

Is Zoom here to stay as the ‘new normal’ for getting meetings done? How will social interaction and maintaining positive mental health attitudes as vaccines take time to work their way around the globe?

Hindsight is 20/20 is a common phrase. It means that when we look back everything is clear after the fact. But more than hindsight, the year 2020 has given us foresight. It has allowed us to see that uncertainty is the name of the game. It has allowed us to stare bravely into the tasks and changes we have been putting off and step up and make those uncomfortable decisions.

2020 has made us more resilient. We can spend time dwelling on the negatives of this past year, how COVID robbed us of all the opportunities we were going to have. How lockdowns limited our freedom of movement. What governments are doing to seize extra powers or we can look forward and see how we can crisis-proof our operations and be prepared for whatever lies around the bend in 2021.

For all 2021 may or may not be, for certain it will be exciting. Exciting like a rollercoaster ride or your favourite horror movie. It promises to be a suspense thriller wrapped in a divine comedy drama. Yeah. All of that. The only question would be whether or not we learned our lessons from a pop down year and prepare ourselves for the uncertainty and boldly go to 2021 and beyond.