Lessons I’m learning about myself & my business during COVID-19

lessons-I-am-learning-about-myself-and-my-business-during-COVID-19

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Four months into the pandemic, I wrote about lessons that I was learning about myself as a leader, and my business. Like for so many people, lessons keep revealing themselves to me this year, so I thought I would write a sequel.

The second part of the year presented more and different challenges, like the second and stricter lockdown in Melbourne, governments around the world ignoring the virus, elections that kept the world in tenterhooks, and at a personal level, deciding to leave our physical office of 22 years to start anew.

Nothing like a major crisis to get us to rethink what is essential, what is desirable, what is nice-to-have and what is past its use-by-date.

Lesson 1: Relocating can be liberating – physically and emotionally

Leaving a commercial office space after 22 years has been very liberating.

I am a creature of habit when it comes to work routines and I thought relocating from a commercial office space to working remotely from home would leave me feeling sad or mournful but what happened was the exact opposite. I felt free and liberated on both a physical and emotional level.

I also got the chance to update my workspace and work habits to allow me and my team to be more productive.

They say if you want to change old habits, the best time to do it is when you are changing your physical location like moving house or moving office and this is what I have done.

Lesson 2: Staying the course – relationships, commitment, and teamwork can save the day (or the year)

We are a very strong and committed team, with a clear focus and purpose that allow us to navigate every situation with a sense of control, we know where we are going.

I promised my team at the beginning of the pandemic that our number one job was to stay together and stay in business and we are doing just that.

As we have encouraged others to do all through COVID -find viable market segments, keep communication channels open, develop new relationships and nurture existing ones, adapt and develop new offers if required, and keep on prospecting and engaging with customers and new businesses to ensure that you have a full pipeline of opportunity- so have we and it is paying off for us and our clients.

Knowing how to strategise, prospect and sell are vital business and life skills and capabilities we can all benefit from now and in the long term.

Lesson 3: Watch who you let near your mind – the importance of working on your mental health continuously

Watch who you let near your mind has been our mantra for many years; however, it has been and still is in full use during these challenge times for all the obvious reasons.

Our mental health is vital to our overall well-being. Taking time to check in on each other including clients and suppliers and asking each other ‘RU OK?’ matters.

Sometimes, the best thing we can do is just listen to the other person and respect their feelings even if they are all over the place and somewhat negative. However, we can do this in such a way that we do not get swept up in their emotions. Instead, as leader or team member, we can be a neutral sounding board of calm and reason with a Can Do, What if approach that provides hope and purposeful optimism for the other person / team and ourselves.

Equally as a leader, I know how important it is to seek out a safe space and have regular sessions with a qualified therapist who can help me download and unload my feelings and emotions so they do not disrupt my team, clients, partners and family with unnecessary angst.

Lesson 4: The end of an era is as wonderful as it is sad

I am a 2020 Year 12 parent. Like many other parents we have had our fair share of extra challenges and work this year participating in the schooling of our children. 2020 also signifies the end of the schooling years as parents for my husband and me – 19 years of school schedules, school drop-offs and pick-ups, parent-teacher-student interviews, and so. We have had the privilege of being Montessori parents at the Melbourne Montessori School. I was also part of the planning and creation of the senior school which has its first Year 12 IB cohort graduate this year. My youngest son, Alex is one of these IB graduates. I found myself reflecting on these 19 years as part of the MMS school community; all the relationships, projects, and community activities we participated in to help it flourish. I wrote a Year 12 Parent’s Valedictory Speech which I will be presenting at the 2020 Year Graduation ceremony on 20 November. It’s my way of paying respect to our community of parents and teachers who are committed to the nurturing and development of talent in our children for ours and their future.

2020 has indeed been a big year.

Remember, everybody lives by selling something.