Responsibility, recovery, and the “Great Reboot”​.
By: Ian Schafer
Tags: Sustainability, Leadership, Purpose, Advertising, Marketing

Image via Getty/Angela Weiss/AFP

It’s becoming very clear that we are living in a persistent state of chaos. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything we can do about it.

Most American businesses are trying to figure out how to just survive the next few weeks, if not days. But there are many American businesses who were more prepared (relatively, for lots of different reasons) for where they find themselves today. Those businesses likely had a clear sense of their purpose going into this pandemic, which makes every decision they need to make during it that much more obvious. While it’s still (unfortunately) too early to hold these companies up as “heroes” — they will likely be faced with difficult decisions, not just obvious ones — it’s worth remembering that there are thousands of small, medium, and even large businesses who want to do the right thing, but can’t. They are also companies who are likely to employ workers who likely can’t get by with a missed paycheck, much less losing their jobs.

When you think about what life might look like after COVID-19 (or at least after the curve flattens), what I suggest you also think about is what life looked like for a lot of other people before COVID-19, and why they were tragically unprepared to deal with its ramifications. COVID-19 isn’t revealing as many new issues, as it is highlighting the ones that were staring us right in the face for generations.

Healthcare.

Justice reform.

Mental health & wellness.

Food deserts.

Income inequality.

Voting rights.

We may be in another economic recession, but even if (and when) we emerge from it, and life seems to go back to “normal”, we must not settle for it. It will be an opportunity for a great reboot of our economy, one that is more inclusive and supportive, where the health of a business and the health of employees don’t need to be at odds with one another. One that grants permission to every company to put more constructive efforts into their communities without fear of blowback by shareholders. One where companies treat their employees with the respect they ask for in return. One with greater expectations of transparency and ethics.

Don’t feel bad that you have to play defense right now. We all do. Survival is instinctive — but you must persevere. Companies are generally not as resilient as humans are. The best leaders will emerge from this stronger than before. Not all companies can, or will.

But if you’re the leader of a company or a leader within one, the move here is to play defense with the assumption that you’re going to get the ball back sooner than you think. Be prepared to play offense in a game with new rules, greater expectations, and higher stakes.

If you have the luxury of being able to “pivot”, whether it’s your business model or your production lines, for heaven’s sake, do the right thing now. It will pay itself back via loyalty — from your employees and your customers.

Anyone who has been through a crisis before (there are many active leaders who have steered companies through both 9/11 and the Great Recession) knows that the pendulum swings both ways — and believe me, you’ll want to be prepared to have your company ready before it swings back. The great ones (companies and leaders) aren’t just resilient, they aren’t just perseverant — they are prepared.

Now is the right time to reconstitute around — and maybe even redevelop — your mission, purpose, and ethical guidelines. It’s how my last company not only survived both 9/11 and the Great Recession but came out of them even stronger than before — and it’s why I know we’ll get through this in much the same way.

It would be easy for me to end this right here, but there’s one more thing.

I must stress — there is NO shame in not being able to successfully navigate a company through this. There is NO shame in talking to people about how hard it is. There is NO shame in losing your job because of all of this. None of this is easy. Stress, anxiety, depression, in all of its forms, it’s OK to have those feelings. If you need to talk, I’m here for you, and I guarantee there are thousands of others who feel the same way. But if you need help right now, please reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor.

This is not a time to “hustle”. It’s a time to take stock of your company and yourself and prioritize around humanity and humaneness. Find empathy in understanding how COVID-19 not only caused a lot of illness for people on and off the front lines but also exacerbated our societal ills that will, unfortunately, outlive this virus.

Save your socially-distanced logos. Save your Coronads. Resist the temptation to tell us that you’re here for us during this trying time. Just be there for us when we need you, even if it’s not because of the products you make. There’s upside in meeting the needs of people who need us, and while we shouldn’t need a reward for doing so, you don’t have to go by anecdotal evidence, there’s plenty of data that says so. Trust the scientists.