7 Discoveries You're Going to Make About Your Employees in a Post-Corona World

A few days ago I was speaking with Jaime, who runs my speaking company and has been with me for about three years during a time of tremendous growth for our business. She simply said:

“All of our speaking gigs have been postponed. We’re not looking at any revenue for the next three months or so. It only makes sense that you consider cutting my hours.”

Think about that for a second—a salaried employee comes to you during difficult times and has the foresight to essentially say, “Put the company needs over my needs right now.”

That’s what makes Jaime special, and that’s also why she’ll always have a place in my company.

During difficult, unsure times like we’re in right now, if you’re an employer or business leader, there is no doubt you’re getting ready to learn a whole lot about your team.

That’s the beauty of the refiner’s fire.

It tells us more about our team than all the tests, interviews, and company outings an organization could ever do—combined.

And personally, having gone through a recession with about 20 employees in 2009, and now going through another with about 150 employees today, this is a subject that I find myself thinking about literally every hour of the day.

So in this post, I’d like to briefly describe a few of the things you’re getting ready to learn about your team and employees in the coming weeks. Without question, the view you have of your employees (and culture) is about to dramatically evolve. Here goes:

7 Discoveries You’re About to Make About Your Employees in a Post Coronavirus World:

1. Who is, and is not, self-disciplined:

Right now, everyone is sacrificing, balancing, and trying to manage this change. Many are working from home for the first time. Despite this, certain employees will get their work done. Others will not. And what’s the biggest determining factor?

Self-discipline.

2. Who does, and who does not, see the big picture.

Seeing the big picture means the individual has the ability to not just be caught up in this particular moment, but see today for what it is, tomorrow for what it could be, and the next year for what it will be. It’s during times like now that it’s critical to keep everyone’s eye on the long term vision, otherwise, if you’re just going day by day and looking at everything that is “going wrong” in the world, the picture can certainly come across as very bleak.

3. Who is, and is not, steady under pressure:

Many of you have already seen this manifest itself in your organization. Some employees have stunned you with their ability to take charge, lean in, and do what needs to get done—despite the circumstances. Others have been just the opposite. Instead of being firm and steadfast, they’ve been emotionally up and down, therefore affecting everyone around them, and introducing doubt and worry to the team in the process.

4. Who is, and is not, and innovator and problem solver:

This may be the most exciting part of post-corona—the innovation that will spring up as a result of everything that is happening. For example, with my team at IMPACT, we’ve already had multiple employees step up so as to plan a new consulting service that will help companies go virtual in every area (events, sales, etc.). Because we’ve been doing this for years at IMPACT, certain members of our team immediately started to design these services, without even being asked.

5. Who is, and is not, self-aware:

Jaime, who was mentioned at the beginning of this article, was the essence of self-aware in suggesting a possible hour/pay reduction. Instead of getting completely caught up in the emotions of losing income right now, she was also able to look at the health of the company, projections for the coming months, etc.—arriving at a logical conclusion despite the clear potential inconvenience. For me personally, this type of self-awareness is the type of thing that makes we want to fight even harder to NOT have to follow her suggestion.

6. Who is, and is not, a true leader:

Leaders come in many forms. And as the saying goes, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

At my swimming pool company, because we learned so many brutal lessons in 2008, my business partner Jason (and CEO of River Pools) stopped taking salary two weeks ago, the moment he realized the economy was going to be in trouble.

This is what makes him not only the greatest business partner I could ever ask for, but also respected and loved by his fellow employees (even though he’s not the type to brag about his sacrifices.)

7. Who does, and does not, have their heart and soul in the company:

“Whatever it takes.”

That’s the attitude of those employees right now that realize there is something bigger going on here than just their individual needs. And because of this mindset, and their extreme belief in the company and its mission, they’re willing to put it all out there during such difficult times.

I remember back to the last crash, when I couldn’t afford to pay my employees to come in to the office, a few of them came in anyway—kept working—despite the fact that there wasn’t any paycheck coming in.

I’ll never, ever forget what those employees did during that time.

So there are 7 things you’re sure to learn about your employees and team in the coming weeks and months. I’d also note here that everyone, despite how “good” they are, will likely experience ups and downs throughout this journey. So just be careful not to judge anyone too harshly, especially in the beginning. This is a tough time for everyone, and many that are struggling today may be your greatest leader tomorrow.

Your Turn:

What would you add to the list?

What have you already learned about your team(or yourself) in this process?