NZ Lockdown v3 - Keep calm and carry on!

Those of us who were deep into Valentines celebrations may have missed the announcement yesterday (although it would have been rare). However New Zealand woke up today in its third version of lockdowns. Sentiment about whether this is a good thing or a bad thing (just like in August) appears to be split down the middle. What we should remember is what we should be doing to look after what is important to us, our businesses and our people. Here are some of my thoughts (in no particular order) in what we need to be mindful of: 

Do what you do best

If you are a business owner - look after what you do best - your business. What does a three day lockdown mean? Can work shift (out or brought forward) , if it can then great, if not, what can you keep your people busy working on the business (i.e. offer support in other areas of the business i.e. I know many companies in the transport and logistics sector redeploy office staff to the warehouse to help with storage/ deliveries). Call your clients / customers and let them know what you are capable of. Engage in conversation. I know when I was going through this last year, I spent the first part of each lockdown just talking to clients. Some put the brakes on, some deferred but others were more than happy to kick things off early. I have learnt that being adaptable is a great virtue in business, and it is no different now. 

If you are unable to operate, hunker down and plan for when you can (one of the first things you might want to do is think about a work from home strategy or ways to diversify income . For one of my contacts, in the last lockdown, they weren't able to hold sports competitions and moved to holding coaching clinics allowing them to still generate income). The point is, do not stop! 

Take stock 

No, I am not encouraging you to go out and start looting. Take stock and have a look at what resources you have. Cash still is king so how much access do you have to cash / credit. A 3 day lockdown in most people's eyes shouldn't have a significant impact. However, if you consider we are only starting to get back into the swing of things after the Christmas / New Year and we have just had two long weekends (in Auckland anyway), these might be your lowest cash generating months (take into account credit terms, some businesses might be feeling a little stretched). There is a 50:50 chance this might last longer than 3 days (I have had multiple discussions today where business owners are expecting at least an extension to the weekend). With all of this in the background, can you manage cash flow enough so that this is manageable (I use cash flow as this represents money coming in and money going out. Both need equal focus). I know the government has not come out with any detail yet on further government assistance, however don't assume there will be any or at least consider that it might take time to access. 

Check in 

Check in on your team. 2020 is already on record as being one of the most mentally challenging years for all levels of your company / organisation. I am sure that the announcement on Sunday, that there will be similar feelings, so checking in and keeping your people focused and positive will be important. I believe it is important to not confuse checking in with keeping track of your people. A high degree of Trust is always involved and at the end of the day if you have a good culture, a group of people you trust and this trust is reciprocated with respect, then your people will deliver for you. Reinforce key messages and keep being available. 

As important as it is to check in on your team, make sure you give people clear instructions. Clear and concise messaging will help keep productivity stable. I don't know of any organization that did well to maintain productivity during the last two iterations. I know we got better in August but it depends on many different variables. I would be keen to hear from those who have been early adopters of the work from anywhere policy. I am sure your advice would be invaluable.  

Final thoughts 

I tend to think that we are still learning how to deal with a pandemic that the world has never seen before. So I can't fault our government for continuing their stance on dealing with this virus. I however think that we are in a different position then we were last year, I mean we have had a front row seat on how this pandemic has developed abroad, as a nation we continue to tweak things to address 'weak' links. Remember resilience is about our ability to continue moving forward. I encourage us all to do this. So remember, keep doing what you do best, take stock and check in. On that note, thanks to those of you who checked in on me today, it is appreciated. Made even more special seeing as though I am taking some time off!