Article contributed by Mike Berman, COO, Day & Nite/All Service, with Tia Tassava
Unlike 9/11, Katrina, Superstorm Sandy, or any other crisis we have lived through, the current coronavirus conditions are quite different from anything we have ever endured. Where people could spring into action in the aftermath of these other tragedies, where the hospitality industry could actively contribute to immediate rescue and renewal, today, we are forced to shelter within. Hospitality professionals thrive on human interaction and social engagement; nothing could be worse than keeping distance.
Even if we are all keeping a proper distance from one another, now is the time to make sure we are anything but distant. There is no better sector equipped to provide necessary levels of leadership than hospitality professionals, the world’s most accomplished group at bringing people together. In this second installment, we are providing additionally useful, proven methods for effectively managing through these unprecedented conditions.
1. Long game vs. adrenaline
Unlike the adrenaline-charged reaction to other crises we’ve faced, where steps to recovery were rather obvious, managing through a current pandemic is much murkier and quite unclear. Focusing on the things you can control, now is the time to nail down your business reactivation plan. Not only does this provide clarity of thought and purpose, but you have the opportunity to galvanize your team around more constructive activities that will ensure a head start when things go back to normal.
2. Purposeful collaboration
Pivoting to the long game allows you to assign crucial strategic assignments to your staff, bringing them together as work teams, entrusting all to create the means and methods for business reactivation. Not only will this get everyone back in the swing of working together, but the exact nature of this work is also sure to provide some of the most creative thinking, and problem-solving as these vital professional qualities have been suppressed for many weeks.
3. Professional renewal
Everyone has the “someday” list, ranging from projects we never seem to find time for or areas we’d like to self improve on. With senior executives taking the lead, everyone should write a thorough self-evaluation, emphasizing those areas of professional development where time was too limited to improve before. Professional self-reviews should then be delivered to like-title peers, in small groups, with a specific outcome of Professional Improvement Plans to be reported on and managed to within these peer groupings (not in the traditional top-down fashion).
4. No walls
The Day & Nite family of companies has received credit for being far ahead of coronavirus, continuing to operate several steps ahead. From academics, healthcare professionals, government agency experts, to customers and suppliers, we continue to engage every possible discussion with pure intent to listen, learn, and apply. It is crucial to take the fullest advantage of your entire network, paying particular attention to those not directly connected to or intimate with your core business.
5. Pop bubbles before they appear
With the demand for professionally shutting down expensive and sensitive equipment, as well as wise decisions many are making to maintain equipment continually, Day & Nite/All Service/Popular Plumbing technicians are (un)surprisingly rather busy these days. At the same time, we anticipate an unprecedented surge even before things spring back to life as we knew it. Just as we have developed several models to guide through the inevitable next phase, from likely supply chain challenges to labor, you need to know where the bubbles in your business might be, so they don’t set you back further than coronavirus already has.
Although there are several other useful, proven crisis management disciplines, these first two installments were written to cover the basic methods. If anyone would like to discuss particular situations or go deeper, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are all in this together. In upcoming weeks, this column will drill more in-depth on specific strategies and tactics to help us all through this time.
