Let’s unite in our fight against COVID-19

It is an extraordinary time in Asia as we see the impact of COVID-19 here and around the world. As Deloitte Asia Pacific CEO, the impact that COVID-19 is having on our business operations is pervasive. But it’s not all doom and gloom as we face up to this new challenge. I would like to share with you some of my personal thoughts and reflections on the current situation and some tips we can apply in our daily lives.

The sentiment in parts of Asia, including China, is moving towards stability and recovery as these countries have been dealing with the situation for many weeks now. However, the sentiment in other parts of the region, including Korea and Japan, and indeed the rest of the world is one of escalating concern as confirmed case numbers are still rising. It is important to realize that people have different perspectives on the situation depending upon where they live and where they are in processing and responding to the impact of the crisis.

In times of uncertainty it is natural to be concerned and to search for ways to help. If you are like me, you may be asking yourself – What can I do? How can I help? I thought I would share with you 5 things I have been thinking about and would recommend.

1. Take care of yourself

In times of crisis we often seek to take care of others - our families, our friends and our colleagues. Right now the best way to take care of others is first to take care of ourselves. I am a big advocate for well-being. Maintaining your physical well-being and resilience could never be more important than it is now. Seems simple, but probably the biggest thing each of us could do would be to ensure our own health and build a strong immune system. By taking care of yourself, you are indeed taking care of everyone around you.

For me personally, I have made some simple changes including washing my hands or using hand sanitizer more frequently. Following advice from my son’s school to take his temperature each morning before school, we instituted this simple step for the entire family every day. If any of us has a temperature or feels unwell, we will not wait to see if it “goes away” but rather seek medical advice and stay home until we are well. 

2. Act, but don’t overreact

To control and stop the virus, we must act. Each and every one of us should take steps that together will make a positive impact in reducing the risk. We have seen this in China and Singapore, where case numbers are now going down following significant collective action of all citizens. 

Each of us makes decisions everyday about our health, our movements, and our interactions. Right now, the media frenzy is giving us both good information and misinformation. Without proper information, our human nature is to react based on emotions or fear and in ways that may be more harmful than helpful. I encourage you to take the time to get credible information, from reliable sources, upon which to make your decisions. Information based on fact. Information from government authorities and world health experts. 

3. Respond empathetically and inclusively

I am fortunate to live in Asia. To me Asia is the most exciting and diverse region in the world. I am always proud of the inclusive and collaborative way that my team at Deloitte work across borders. In challenging circumstances, and with government and corporate restrictions on our movements and travel, our reaction can be to look inward and be more isolated and less inclusive. At times like these, we must avoid finger pointing, stereotyping, and isolating others, which only serves to exacerbate the current situation. Let’s remember our battle here should be human vs virus, not human vs human.

For me, inclusion is one of my core values. Inclusion is easy in the good times, but it should apply more than ever now. Personally, I am constantly asking myself “What must they be thinking or feeling?”, “How could I show support for their situation?” By trying to put myself in the shoes of others, I seek to show empathy and understanding, which will pull me closer to those most directly impacted, rather than drive us further apart. 

4. Make the most of flexible work arrangements

Today 50-60% of our 58,000 people at Deloitte Asia Pacific are working flexibly. I am sure many other organizations in the region and globally have also taken steps to encourage remote or flexible working. This is by far our biggest flexible working experiment ever. 

How many times have you said, “I wish I had more flexibility”? Well here you go! Let’s make the most of this way of working to prove what is possible. It is important to remember flexible work is ‘work’, not a ‘vacation’. We need use technology and teamwork to ensure our productivity remains high. If we get this right, it will give all of us confidence to work differently well beyond this crisis.

For me personally, when we announced international travel restriction for Deloitte, I realized that for the first time in a decade I will not be getting on a plane for the next 8 weeks. I thought “wow, this is different, what will I do with this opportunity?” Three things came to mind that I could do while I was ‘grounded’:

• Connect – stay close to my clients and colleagues. Pick up the phone and call to check in. Where possible, I will have coffee with my network here in Singapore.
• Organize – I always wish for more time to get organized on projects and priorities. I am going to organize myself to ensure I hit the ground running when I can travel again.
• Think – I often say “I need the headspace” to do this or that. So here I have it, time without the demands of international travel. For me this will be working on the vision for Deloitte Asia Pacific to 2025.

So what is it for you? How will you maintain your productivity and use this as an opportunity to get better connected, organized, and thoughtful?  

5. Stay positive

There is no doubt COVID-19 will have significant impact on business and the economy in the near- to medium- term. It is easy to get into a very negative mindset and worry about economic impacts and a major slowdown. Spiraling down this path of negativity will not makes things better, and could in fact make the situation worse. I believe business leaders have a social obligation to keep our economies going. And at Deloitte, we have a professional duty to serve our clients even through disruption. For every business, I imagine there will be many different challenges through and beyond the virus, and with challenge comes opportunity. It is up to everyone to stay positive and capture the upside that will certainly follow this period of disruption. 

Throughout history, humanity has proven to be exceptionally resilient. We thrive on challenges. I am confident that if we ‘unite’ in our response we will all emerge from this crisis stronger and more prepared for future challenges, as individuals, communities and nations.

 Be good to one another, stay healthy and be well.

 Cindy