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February 2023
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BLAMING IS WORST4/27/2020 Blaming is worst than not complying to social distancing.
Yes, I said it! I heard about the real contagion at Cargill plant in Alberta and that Filipino workers were being accused or blamed for causing another outbreak in the province. I don't think we can benefit from this blame-mongering that put one community against the other. Instead of asking how can we help, we need to stop looking for blame instead, look for solutions. What Covid-19 taught all us all these weeks is that we need to be more discerning about the information we are digesting and the voices out there in the public square. This is trash, period. There is no value whatsoever to the kind of misinformation and deception behind the allusion to certain cultural dynamics of a particular community or group of people. I don't think we should go there. Not now, not even when there is no crisis.
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WHAT'S YOUR REOPEN PLAN?4/27/2020 Cities such as Michigan, BC and countries such as Denmark and Germany are slowly reopening up after a few weeks of lockdown.
This all depends on what industries and movements are allowed to have freedom of access or movement. What it clear is that the restrictions can be staggered in such a way that the spread can be prevented. Socialising with certain limits can be reopened again. Vital industries such as manufacturing, agriculture, construction, and retail could be opening up more so than others. The question I have for your organization is: what is your reopen plan? Are you putting in place measures to ensure that the return to business unusual is secured, in gradual mode as conditions allow? What personnel, management, technical, and strategic issues come to play? What capacities are available now and should be reinforced when the organization reopens? Who needs to be recalled back? Who needs to be on standby or in anticipation of slow but steady activity? These questions are not premature, they are ripe for asking and answering now.
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WAITING VERSUS DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT4/22/2020 There are things in life that you can't control so you wait it out until it gets better or it gets out of the way.
Most of the time, waiting it out is counterproductive and can do you more harm than good. Being in the fence about what is going on around you or going on in your business/organization is reneging on your responsibility to take action when it matters. Lawsuits can be avoided if management had taken concrete steps or actions to ensure that a valid complaint is dealt with and that people who are accountable are called out for their behaviors. Waiting for things to naturally acquiesce on your favor is like waiting for $100 dollar bill to be found while you are walking down the street. The probability of that is very slim. It is called luck for a reason. Now that the COVID-19 they say has reached its peak and that measures can be lifted in a few weeks is not a product of waiting, it's a product of conscientious efforts by a lot of actors, the authorities and people who have to cooperate every day to stem the tide of the epidemic. A conversation I had a few weeks ago sums up this point:" if you stir the boat, you will get nothing." I say" if you don't stir the boat, you will end up with nothing." The latter affords you the initiative to take action and take responsibility for your lot. The former gives the other party the onus to either decide on your favor or not. Choose the action that affirms your purpose and never let another person or situation control how you behave. With waiting, you are leaving a lot of resources and decision-making powers on the table that can, otherwise, minimize your risks and accelerate your progress. Take action right now.
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COME OUT IN THE SUN4/20/2020 The spring has sprung.
There is no spring, we can now in summer weather! The snow is melting and a two-digit positive climate is here. It is time to celebrate. Grab your bike and go around the yard or neighborhood. Keep your distance but you can enjoy and have fun. Smell the air. Rejoice in the rain. It brings May flowers. Grab some sun. The sun is good to liven up your spirit. It is good to celebrate spring. Celebrate the new season.
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WHEN THIS IS OVER4/15/2020 A few weeks now with the lockdown and social distancing, your organization should be gearing up to 'when this is over' scenario.
The Canadian government has expressed that these measures wont be lifted until a vaccine is available for treatments. It could take a few more weeks, which to me is a good precautionary step and a good way also to express that it would soon be over than later. Now is the time to look at your mitigation measures and adapt to the recovery and stabilization phase once measures are lifted. Businesses can start operating again, events/conferences can be held, travel bans are lifted, and slowly things will get back to the new normal. When this thing is over, here are some of the questions you may think about: 1) In these few weeks, what did you find about your organization in terms of coping up, being resilient, and taking leadership? What surprised you the most? 2) What opportunities are you maximizing and sustaining in the new order to become a better organization? 3) What practices, systems, and mentalities need to be discarded in order to give way to the new configuration? 4) What capacities are needed/strengthened to continue your market edge and leadership? It is reported that there are million job losses in Canada for the past few weeks due to the economic shutdown. There will be more catastrophic impacts to be documented in the next few months down the road. This is not the time to have a 'wait and see' attitude. You need to 'build back better' by starting now and assuming a clear and well-defined strategic position towards recovery.
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NO MORE MISSED OPPORTUNITY4/13/2020 If you think that waiting is a good strategy moving forward, it's not.
There are tremendous missed opportunities by simply staying on status quo in this time when there is high volatility and less certainty. There are opportunities that can be mined and exploited to the fullest. -Opportunities to strengthen your customer relations; remote transactions and relationship -Opportunities to make a difference , i.e. Subway's food bank, Google's help in combating disinformation -Opportunities to lead in the market, United Way's approach to community funding -Opportunities to learn about the new dynamics of the market and look out for new behaviors and trends on emerging issues; Chamber of Commerce Survey -Opportunities to encourage and promote productivity and health; i.e. organizations promoting mental health and positivity; -Opportunities to ramp up your online marketing and branding; -Opportunities to think about things that you needed to do, when this pandemic is over, i.e. long-term, non-linear visioning There are many positive opportunities that you are not simply thinking about being mired in a day-t0-day survival and coping mode. It's time to start to be opportunity-focused with the new normal. It's here. It's now. It's changing every day.
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NO ESCAPE ROOM4/9/2020 The earlier you embrace the new situation the better for your organization in the long run.
Whatever you can do right now with the resources and options that you have, do it rather than sit and wait until this is over. We don't know when will this be over. What we know is that we can control our responses and actions. We can focus on what is at hand. We can be patient about how much we can do. We can rejoice with the blessings that we have. We are grateful for the love and support we enjoy. We need to be proactive and optimistic with the situation. We cannot stop our lives from evolving. We need to connect and reach out. If you really think about it, there is no escape room.
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HEALTHY SCRIPTING4/7/2020 We wake up in the morning.
We get ready for home-based work. We tell ourselves that this is another week. We can do good. We can be better. We can be productive and positive In spite of the difficulties. We get our acts together, focus on what we can accomplish today. Today and the next few weeks will be very important to scale down the spread. We live everyday with the conviction and hope that it will pass too. We will go back to our lives stronger and more resilient as people. We create a new pattern, a new way of doing, and a new way of thinking that reflect what we need for the moment. These new scripts are very important to keep us on track and not slide down to getting stuck. We can overcome
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KEEP YOUR CLIENTS HAPPY!4/1/2020 This time no one wants to feel isolated especially those who are in business.
Some of your suppliers, partners, and clients are hurting at the moment. This is the time to reach out and tell them you care, you know that there are shared experiences, and you are there to help. I have been doing that in all of my community members. Because number one, you are not working or dealing with an organization, you are dealing with people. People are scared, afraid, and unable to make sense of what is happening. Provide that support and leverage your mission and resources to have that extra-customer service that they would need at this time. During crisis time, it is not ethical to be sleazy and capitalizing on someone's pain. But you need to be present and make the effort to be relevant with results. Commiserating is good but working with them towards practical solutions is way better |
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