Globalization in a Post-Pandemic Era, FINAL Part

Moving Forward

So, how do we move forward from our pandemic-driven society? How do we reinstate the growth of globalization? How do we survive and thrive in our newfound, post-pandemic age?

First, we must realize that we are dealing with a world that no one has seen before. Everything we experience will be novel. Everything we do, will need to be novel as well. In routine situations, we expect solutions that are reliable, correct, and effective. This is natural. But in unprecedented situations such as this, everything we do is an experiment in real-time. Our skills as business leaders – creativity, inventions, and problem-solving – are more valuable than ever before.

????????????But, how do we leverage our skills to survive and thrive in the post-pandemic age? We must do the following:

????????????Resist the urge to give quick, hasty answers. Hurried solutions are rarely optimal solutions, especially in new, uncertain situations. Sit down. Think. Brainstorm. Do research. Consult your Team. Only then will you provide the best solution to your current dilemma.

????????????Remind yourself and others, that none of us completely understand what is going on. A post-pandemic age sounds like a fictional phrase from your favorite science fiction novel, but it’s not! It’s real, it’s here, and it’s something we’ve never seen before. The world is evolving rapidly, and changing every day. But we are not alone. Every other industry and business are facing the same challenges we are, and we will need to learn from and guide one another in the coming days.

????????????Set aside time to be with yourself, and only yourself. First, evaluate your mindset. Is it still relevant in our post-pandemic age? Is it outdated? The only way to shift your actions is to shift your mindset, first. Your business and lifestyle will follow suit.

????????????Switch on survival mode. Be the strong, decisive leader your Team looks up to. Be ready to always show your best to your Team. You are their pillar. If you fall or crack, they will follow.

????????????Establish a critical incident management team to deal with the new, unprecedented challenges we will face in a post-pandemic world. Build a team of experts that are not only loyal, but are also out-of-the-box thinkers with innovative solutions up their sleeves that you would never think of yourself. These are the kinds of people we need right now.

????????????Train your critical incident management team to do the following: mitigate losses caused by critical incidents, shift company goals and restructure your team to reflect the most pressing priorities (suppliers, customers, internal affairs, cash flow, etc.), and always execute on the core values and mission of your organization. Change your methods, but never sacrifice your values.

????????????Know what to expect. We cannot expect perfection in such an uncertain global landscape. We can, however, expect ourselves, and our Team, to put forth our best effort, learn and adapt to new situations quickly, and be resilient. This is the key. Not everything we will try in the coming days will work. But we will keep trying, until it does work. We will gather up every ounce of resilience into our bodies and pour it into our organizations, until we are where we wish to be. And always – always – show optimism. There is always reason for optimism. Find it. Remember: you are the mirror of your people. You are their idol. They will follow how you act and react, so you must always be optimistic.

????????????Understand and mitigate pandemic-driven problems. You might be faced with cash flow issues, including less sales during the pandemic and therefore less income to pay your staff. You might face issues with suppliers, including no shipments, no raw materials, and even no cash with which to pay your suppliers. You might be faced with customer issues. Maybe you have demand, but no goods to supply your customer. Maybe you have no customers, or customers who aren’t financially capable to buy from you right now (remember, your customers are just like you. They are facing the same monetary struggles you are!).

If we take these steps, we will be on the golden path toward not only surviving the aftermath of the pandemic, but flourishing in the post-pandemic world.

Our goal is to survive.

Our desire is to thrive.

We can do both, but we must be principled, resilient, optimistic, and more than anything else:

Innovative.?