I started to sit down and write this blog with the typical opening line about “these times of uncertainty” and “amidst current business concerns” but after reading just the first few words I realized how repetitious it was. I don’t know about you but I am receiving SO many emails with “calming” and/or reassuring messages, that I am quickly tuning them out.

So, I am going to assume you are getting all the necessary “precaution” and “recommendations” emails, too, and we are going to instead focus on what you need right now, regardless of COVID-19, and what you will need when it phases out. The bottom line is that no matter what is going on, there is still business to conduct, so don’t wash your hands of your business obligations. Instead, this is a great time to increase your organizational focus.

Get On The Right Track
Most of the time, we are all so busy DOING, that we don’t have time to think and plan effectively. But, you can’t accomplish goals if you don’t really identify what they are, and you can’t fix problems if you don’t take the time to really figure out what is and what is not working.

So, I would like to encourage you to put aside some time to get yourself and your business on track right now and for the future by answering these questions:

What Are Your Goals?
Write down what your goals are for this year, 5 years from now, and 10 years from now. These can be personal goals, professional goals, and/or goals for your business. If you are looking ahead towards the future and want to have $1M in the bank ten years from now, write that down.

Now, write down the steps you can take to get you to these goals. If you like that $1M goal, break that down by the amount you need to bring in and put away per year, then per month.

Then, based on your business, what can you do to make that happen? In other words, how many additional clients or accounts do you need per month? How many sales do you need to close? And, what can you do to get more exposure to your target demographic so you can close those sales? The more specific you can get, the easier it will be to know what steps you need to take so your goals can be attained.

What Are Your Challenges?
If you are a business owner or part of the Leadership Team, your schedule probably doesn’t allow time to really look at and address the challenge areas in your business. After working with numerous business leaders over the years, I’ve found that challenges are often the same across various industries.

For instance, there are leadership challenges including communication style, EQ/EI, and personal motivation. Problems involving Direct Reports and Organizational challenges are also often put aside due to time constraints. Since you can’t fix something if you aren’t aware there’s a problem, the first step is recognition.

Take some time to review our Corporate Problem Solving Checklist. You may even want to ask your managers and team leaders to complete it so you can get a complete picture across all areas of your business. Then, if you would like to schedule a free review, just complete the top contact section and we will call or meet with you and recommend solutions to the problems you identify!

What Do You And Your Team Need Right Now?
RIGHT Now, it may be that you need to address concerns that are related to the virus and its impact on business activities. Perhaps you need to increase communication efforts and options to keep productivity up. Or, maybe this is a good time to identify how best to motivate your team even when they aren’t in the office. Reviewing the strengths of employees and how they match their job roles and responsibilities could also be advantageous during times of change.

Many people are not comfortable with change and there are a LOT of changes happening right now. So, find ways to address fears and concerns in yourself and your team, and it will help maintain morale and productivity. Then, you can work on overcoming the challenges that interfere with attaining your goals.

Business As Usual
While we don’t know when things will get back to “business as usual,” we do know that “the show must go on.” When faced with circumstances beyond our control, it often helps to stay focused on moving forward through the changes. This is a good time to review, re-evaluate, and re-engage your commitment to yourself and your team. But then again, it’s always a good time for that!

As COVID-19 continues to spread, stay safe, stay focused, and keep your hands clean!