The SmallBizChat Podcast: Helping Your Employees Be Safe and Stay Motivated During COVID-19 with Lori M. Ruffin

Lori Ruffin is an entrepreneur, speaker, and founder of the COO Team, formerly known as Stream Strategic Planning Co. With extensive experience in the international and national non-profit world’s inner workings, Lori joins her clients on their journey to expand their business and create the systems they need to grow their organization. She is passionate about helping leaders fulfill their purpose and find the ability to focus on their passions. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a special focus on Marketing, Minors Urban Practice and Policy, and Spanish from the University of Richmond – Robins School of Business and an MBA in Business Administration and Global Leadership and Entrepreneurship from Regent University.

Lori joins me today to discuss what her clients are doing to ride out the pandemic and how her team is helping. She shares her tips on keeping people motivated and helping everyone feel valued and safe during challenging times. Lori highlights why it’s important to keep your business values and mission in mind when coming up with strategies and how you can help your employees be part of the process. She also shares the things you can discuss with your team, those working and on furlough, to help them stay engaged with the business.

“Our ability to support our teams really makes a difference in whether or not we are actually going to be able to survive times like this.” – Lori Ruffin

Listen to the podcast below:

This week on SmallBizChat Podcast:

• What Lori and the COO team have been doing to help leaders figure out how to support their people during the pandemic
• How to keep teams motivated during the pandemic
• Why it’s essential to revisit your business values
• How to decide between a reset or a restart for your business
• Why your vision and mission are important factors when steering your business through these changing times
• How business owners can create safe and welcoming environments for employees returning to work
• What to do if employees are not comfortable about coming back to work
• How to create effective communication channels and encourage new ideas
• How you can stay connected to furloughed employees
• Managing and helping team members that still have their job
• What you and your team need to consider for the future of the company and strategies you can work on
• The conversations you need to have with your employees
• How Lori stays motivated in her business

Resources Mentioned:

• Lead Stories Podcast with Joe Saxton and Stephanie Williams O’Brien
• Canva
• Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward – by Henry Cloud
• The E-Myth Revisited – by Michael Gerber

Connect with Lori Ruffin:

• COO Team Website
• COO Team on LinkedIn
• COO Team on Facebook
• Lori Ruffins’ website
• Lori Ruffin on LinkedIn
• Lori Ruffin on Instagram
• Lori Ruffin on Facebook

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For more great tips to run your small business, visit the Succeed As Your Own Boss blog and check out the #SmallBizChat Podcast.