Frequently, our meetings with clients these days feel like therapy sessions. In addition to talking about marketing strategies and PR outreach, we find ourselves discussing not just the changes we’ve all had to make in order to adapt to a pandemic world, but also how that world has impacted all of us in longer term ways – on both a personal and a professional/ managerial level.
Communications obviously plays a huge role in how we implement outreach in new and different ways with our customers and other key external audiences, as well as with our internal associates . . . and also with ourselves.
Being a business owner is tougher than ever these days. Our customers and clients are rethinking how their own companies behave and what they need most from their service providers, vendors and partners. Our connection points with CEO’s include not only expert advise on how to market and position their companies, but also recommendations on how to communicate effectively with their own employees.
Additionally, we find ourselves talking about how corporate leaders need to be taking care of themselves in order to be able to take care of and make good decisions related to all of their other audiences.
Being a CEO under more normal circumstances is challenging enough! So, here are some key ways to be sure that you stay grounded and ready for the next onslaught of changes in your business:
· With work and the rest of your life blurring together more than ever, any boundaries between the two that you’ve had in the past are probably out the window. Make an effort to establish and stick to a schedule that allows time for you to rest, recharge and get your mind off of work.
· If you’ve never been a good delegator, now is the time to hone that skill. And if you don’t have a team to whom you’re able to effectively delegate, you may want to rethink your team and recruit accordingly.
· Don’t be afraid to not have all the answers. We’re all trying to understand and adapt to our new realities, and it’s okay to not know everything. Communicate to your workforce that you are indeed human, and let your internal leaders rise to the occasion. It will be good for them as well as for you.
· Reach out to your peers for support. Everyone is in the same boat in terms of struggling to navigate our new realities.