We all know what kind of year it has been, so I’m not going to belabor the point.
We learned a lot throughout this year, both good and bad. I thought I’d share some business lessons about planning, preparedness and pandemic response. Hopefully, you’ll find it helpful for your own planning.
Planning
The length and severity of this pandemic was a surprise to everyone. Most people plan for what they expect might actually happen—bad weather, workplace violence, fire, medical, etc. That’s what we did. We planned for the things that we thought would most likely happen. Fortunately, some of those actions proved to be valuable as the pandemic continued. For example:
- We planned for not being able to access our office and the need to work remotely.
- We managed our finances to prepare us for a dip in the economy.
- We maintained open lines of communication internally and externally.
These are just a few examples, but you get the idea. These actions can apply to many situations.
Preparedness
We may have planned, but were we prepared? If I’m being honest, I can say we were as prepared as we could have been with the planning that we did. A few examples of what we did not expect:
- The length of the pandemic crisis
- The shutdown of the global economy
- The impact the pandemic would have on our customers and, consequently, our business
- Operational issues that impacted our ability to deliver services, such as court closures, an inability to perform in-person activities, etc.
Why were we unprepared for these factors? Most likely, it’s because it was hard to imagine how the pandemic would affect everything or that it would last as long as it has.
Response
We were fortunate to be in a business that continued to function and generate revenue. Truly, we were luckier than many firms, and we’re incredibly grateful. These actions contributed to our success during this challenging period:
- We decided early on that our people were the most important. We wanted to do what we could to keep them healthy and whole (no furloughs, layoffs, or salary reductions). Doing that would give us the best opportunity to continue serving our clients and to strengthen our bond with our employees.
- We maintained open communications with our employees and our partners in service delivery. By doing so, we understood their challenges and concerns, which allowed us to formulate our plan.
- We made decisions based on the information we had. We also recognized that no decisions were permanent, and we were prepared to make changes, if needed.
- The leadership team took on different roles and responsibilities, but we spoke regularly to ensure that we made decisions collaboratively.
- We maintained ongoing communication with our clients directly, through email and social media. This immediately assured them that we would be able to continue to handle their needs, and also prepared them for potential issues, such as court closures.
- When the original course of action was no longer possible, we offered clients alternatives and helped them to make informed decisions. We also were flexible with them, which we helped to strengthen our relationships.
- We worked diligently to deliver our standard services and also pivoted into new areas to generate additional revenue streams. We also made our first acquisition during the pandemic crisis.
- We implemented new ways of staying in front of customers and prospects, including video calls, webinars and a podcast.
We are not through this crisis yet, and we continue to meet, plan and adjust. We are hopeful that things will turn out to be better on the other side of this for all of us.
Lessons Learned
So what have we learned? A lot! Here are a few key takeaways:
- We knew theoretically that planning and preparation condition you to deal with crisis situations. I learned firsthand how true this is. Obviously, some nuances will differ, based on the type of situation, but we could not have done well without the good habits we developed through planning and preparing.
- Financial health is critical to responding to a crisis. We always managed our business in a way to prepare for a “rainy day,” and we learned how the financial health of our business also has a direct effect on our decision-making during a crisis.
- Like most businesses, customers are key to our business. Going forward, we will account for the impact a crisis may have on them. When our clients are affected by a crisis, so are we.
- Being comfortable with your team is paramount. The importance of people during a crisis cannot be understated. If you are not comfortable with people during “normal” times, your discomfort will only worsen during a crisis.
- “This is the way we’ve always done it” is a dangerous mentality. Being flexible and nimble is critical.
- Don’t underestimate the mental toll a crisis can take on you and others. Planning and preparation also help you prepare mentally.
Throughout the process, we learned how important our team, clients, friends and family are. Thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey. We look forward to seeing everyone on the other side. Have a great holiday season and a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.
