It’s Sunday…
Hi all! I hope you are doing better today than yesterday. Day by day by day…
I’ve sent out quite a few emails to you on many and varied subjects, and I’ve participated in interviews and Webinars, all with the intent of finding some things that are realistic, constructive and positive during these tough times. I’ll continue to do this until our world stabilizes. It’s a time for thoughts and reassessment. Thoughts about who we are, what matters most to us, what frightens us and what gives us comfort. Reassessment around the way we have lived our professional lives prior to this devastating virus. What do we need the most now? What have we missed the most during this crisis? What can we live with and what can we live without? What really matters?
Daily, I reevaluate my life now. I mean this. When I wake up in the morning, I take serious note of the thoughts that I begin my day with, and I try very hard to redirect those thoughts if they’re not productive, if they’re not proactive, if they’re not lifting me up, but instead, they’re dragging me down. I focus on what I can do, not what I wish would be done. Control gives us power as individuals, but we see so pointedly that we cannot control everything. Learning to say NO to negativity gives us extraordinary power as well. No, I’m not in denial. I’m acutely aware of how tough these times are. Stress and anxiety are part and parcel of our world at this time. Our minds can be our greatest enemies, but they are also our salvation. We are survivors. Humans are survivors. And we will all survive this, but we need and must direct our thoughts positively. What can I do today to plan for tomorrow?
Over these past weeks I’ve made many suggestions regarding business policies in our respective industries, tactics, opportunities and ideas. Now let’s be practical. Are you ready to reopen? Have you planned what you’ll need to do to create a safe and comfortable environment in your office? How are you going to regulate social distancing? Will you require everyone to wear masks? What about lunch hours and common spaces? What working hours will you implement? Do you have a cleaning service that can disinfect your premises at least once a day? How will you monitor deliveries? When the mail is delivered, who will open it? Who will touch all the paperwork that comes in? How will you present your product to the market going forward? What products will you develop? How do you protect and maintain your fulfillment and logistics? Is your supply chain secure, or at least, secure enough that you can start up again as soon as circumstances permit? What will your messaging be when you re-open? Which relationships have been meaningful and add value to your business and your life, and which have been absent and insignificant during this crisis? There are so many questions that need to be answered now, while we have time, while we’re still in lockdown.
During the years since Sandy, we at Hilldun focused on building a fully functional disaster recovery plan. And fortunately, we implemented it just in time thanks to our brilliant IT department. We’re all working remotely on our cloud-based systems which every employee can access as if they were at their desk. It has been a life saver for us. We’ve been able to process everything we need to without interruption. All our departments are fully functional, with the exception of our physical mail room, and thus, we’ve been reaching out to each of you during this calamity to gather every email address for your customers that we might have been missing. We receive thousands of paper checks from retailers globally, and we’ve been able to process each and every one daily, including all the scans you need to reconcile your internal books with. We have a phone system that functions remotely as if we were in the office, so everyone can communicate using their usual phone extensions. We’re not perfect, and during this remote awakening, we have learned what areas we need to perfect and develop for the future. All positive things that have come out of a great tragedy.
Do you have such a plan? Were you prepared to be out of your office for an indefinite period of time? Regardless of what functions you perform in the office that you assume you can only do there, you need an alternative way of managing these unforeseen interruptions. Now’s the time to brainstorm with your partners and your staff and formulate one. Now’s the time to think positively about your future, knowing what a catastrophe actually feels like, and how it affects every aspect of your professional and personal life.
If you spend your time and energy actively planning for the future, you’ll be less afraid of it. The unknown is always more frightening that what is known. And certainly, you’ll be ready to start up again quickly, which we’ll all need to do. This should not be wasted time. Use these moments and days to make yourself stronger and safer going forward. Please remember that everyone is drifting on this very same boat now. You’re not alone. All of humanity is in this together. What may seem like insurmountable obstacles ahead, are all lessons. Don’t make the mistake of not listening and learning. The financial impact of this unimagined closure is pervasive, but we will figure out how to manage the damage together, just as we’re learning how to mitigate a pandemic together. Be positive. Plan. Be ready to go back to doing what you love. Fear can never rule the heart.
Be safe.
Gary