LEARNING INTO THE 'NEW NORMAL'

(aka: recognize that you cannot go back to ‘business as usual’ so resurrect into something new - part 2 of a 3-part series)

I am a content guy.  I have spent the bulk of my career making television shows – coming up with big ideas, selling them, and turning (some of) them into hits.  I’ve also had successful chapters in marketing, PR, live events and ad sales and branded.  So, I look at content and brands holistically. I’ve dedicated my company to helping brands and media companies navigate this new world of content – one in which content IS what matters across all medium from communications and marketing, to PR and activation strategies.  With this in mind, it’s time to talk about the post-COVID-19 New Normal.

It feels fitting to be writing an article focused on how we come out of the never before experienced COVID-19 isolation during Eastertide – a season of reflection and resurrection. The question is not if we come out of isolation, but rather if you will be looked at as a maverick that leads your business into a new future?  Or will you be a reluctant change maker, waiting to define how your business evolves until the future is already in progress?  

So – questions for you now:

• Are you proud of how you’ve handled the challenges of COVID-19 as a business and a leader??  
• Will you need to evolve (change to adapt to new reality), or merely pivot?
• During this time have you been inspirational?  Contemplative?  Isolationist? Reluctant to innovate?

All extremely challenging questions for most of us to answer right now, as we are still living through incredible uncertainty and possibly just the beginning of unrevealed challenges.  But now IS the time to answer these questions and activate into them, because if you wait to answer until after this crisis is over, you’ve waited far too long.

Neither a wise nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower

The New Normal

There’s no benefit in thinking back to how business “used to be” – before stay at home orders, before social distancing, before the great “essential v. non-essential” debate. There’s not much to gain either in dwelling on how much business has been lost to date.  In the New Normal businesses must simply accept these changes, and that these changes will affect everything from supply chains to disposable income, sector prioritization to savings rates.  As the NYTimes noted recently: “The coronavirus has profoundly altered daily life in America, ushering in sweeping upheavals to the U.S. economy. Among the most immediate effects of the crisis? Radical changes to how people spend their money.”

In this New Normal we will see the divide between those who lead/set trends/find unique new ways to define work, and those who are trying to ride on coattails or trends hoping to keep some sense of relevance.  To date, very few have shown themselves to be leaders, because far too many business leaders are still in a shocked, “off their game” space:

• How many of your contacts have gone totally dormant? 
• How many are not replying to normal modes of communication? 
• How many brands (including media companies) are creating pandering content/marketing/communications vs. authentic content that sets them uniquely apart?
• How many are complaining and panicking as a way to keep from making hard choices about the future - pointing fingers at everyone but them selves?

We all know we’ve been through the ringer and it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My family and I are no exception to loss and upheaval.  Yes, I’ve had days where I worry and pine about how much it all sucks. But if I want to be ahead of the curve and lead into the New Normal, I need to move on – and SO DO YOU.  Stop using fear as a tool or a crutch.  We are the leaders; we are the ones that will CREATE jobs – because we are focused on getting back to work.  Let others declare every day how bad it is.  That’s not leading, and staying in a “poor me, I miss the old days of January” mindset will not help you focus on the New Normal.  Once we get past escapism, Netflix binging and the blame game, we need to focus on what we can do, as exemplified by Tanya Joseph last week in MarketingWeek:

Marketers need to spend, what will certainly be a prolonged period of confinement, really thinking about what we want the world which we will eventual step back into to look like and how brands can help restore confidence and rebuild morale.

But as 72andSunny’s Australia Head of Strategy Ross Berthinussen predicted in his B&T Op-ed, we need to have “Tempered Optimism” in terms of how we reemerge and reengage:

A softening of measures will brighten the cultural mood, especially as things like sporting events start up again. But until there’s a vaccine, anxiety and uncertainty will remain. And the economy will dampen our spirits. Recovery will take years not months. Learnings from past recessions are helpful. Consumers will cut back on discretionary spending, apart from small distractions and pleasures. Categories like home improvement will thrive as people choose to improve vs move. The brands who invest, and play the long game, will come out stronger.

How do we focus on an uncertain future?  How do we lean into the New Normal when it hasn’t been defined?  Simple: lead and help define. And that's what we will focus on in part 3: where we fit in the “Need to Have vs. Nice to Have” scale, and how each of us (and our businesses) can become the leaders our communities and industries desperately need.  I’d love to hear from you and engage with you on this journey into the New Normal.  Reach out and let’s connect and share experiences and concerns.  If you're not sure where to begin, let's talk! Every single company and leader can benefit from reflection and resurrecting what we do and how we do it. Because we can be leaders, we must be ahead of the flattening curve coming into the New Normal. 

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Patrick Jager is Founder & CEO of strategic advisory firm Core Innovation Group and a thought leader and speaker in media, communications and business development.