Pause, and dig in

 
Photograph by Sushrut Munje

Photograph by Sushrut Munje

As the material world comes to a standstill, our minds race forever onward.

Not everyone has the luxury to retreat to a comfortable home for a quarantine - with a family that includes parents and siblings and a spouse and children - with enough financial reserves to ensure that whether or not income flows in, the expenses do not have to slow down - and there is not much to spend on either. There is a focus on what is essential.

How prepared were we as individuals when the pause was imposed?

In our minds, we knew what we have been satisfied or unsatisfied about. We knew what we felt about our work, the people around us and our alignment with the goals we have set for ourselves. What steps were we taking to change what we were unhappy about? What steps were we taking to enhance what we were happy about?

Changing the tyre of a running car is an impossibility. Now the car has stopped. The tyre is ours to change. The disadvantage - it takes time for the car to hit the road at a confident breakneck speed again - it takes time for the new tyre to prove itself - predictability is no guarantee of success.

Fundamentally, there are two types of businesses who are suffering due to internal causes.

First being those who either did not trust their teams enough to work remotely or those who failed to build a robust internal communication structure that survived the repulsive forces of silos. Productivity in these cases collapses or reduces - the lack of trust comes back to haunt the promoters, or the teams are half as motivated due to fiefdom politics and hurdles in information flow across departments. Leaders have to step up in order to impose a new order, which is a drastic culture shift in an environment that is not fertile. An avoidable tragedy.

Second being those who either failed to or were slow to build a comprehensive digital marketing presence for the brand - which involves original content creation (intellectual property), distribution to encourage a two way dialogue with customers (thus co creation) and channels dedicated to nurture multiple target segments. This system serves as a glue for internal cohesion - since all departments are a source of information, tapped into by the nodal team that owns content creation. This system develops customer relationships for knowledge sharing, which go beyond sales transactions. This allows the brand to continue its non-sales activities during a slowdown, thus engaging its community without asking them to spend a penny - making it seem like just another day at work, and not the effect of a pandemic. These conversations prove to be invaluable in the long run.

At a personal level, this is the time to double down on our to-do lists, and dig in.

A slow economy is not a good time to be unemployed - but this is the time to consider changing lanes and recalibrate our plans for the future. The world is online, and the world is sitting at home. What better time to reach out and understand what will take us to point B from point A?

Things are the way they are, and the way we perceive them to be.

Shall we make the best out of the worst?

—

Words: Sushrut Munje

 

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