As HR consultants and trainers, one area of key focus has always been leadership. We know that businesses need a strong leader to guide and direct the team and indeed, this is how the most successful organisations succeed.
Yet what happens when things go wrong?
There’s no dispute that 2020 has seen more curveballs than ever before. You can do all the training and strategy planning in the world, but once a global pandemic hits, even the best laid plans are blown out of the water.
At PMHR we’ve also had our fair share of curve balls this year.
When lockdown hit, we instantly moved to homeworking in line with government guidance, leaving behind our Bury town centre office. With space to breath, we had time to think about any positive changes we could make within the business, and as always, a better work-life balance came out top.
With this in mind, we decide to design our own purpose-built hub closer to home. We designed it, planned it, the build started – we’d even chosen the paint! Then the curve balls started flying at us. Planning permission, accessibility and bad weather have all meant we had to pause our project, just as it got exciting.
Did we get fed up? A bit.
Did we quit? Hell no!
Did we learn from it? Absolutely – and we want to share our findings with you.
It’s not the curve ball – it’s the way it’s dealt with – if 2020 has shown us one thing, it’s that sh@t happens. We’ve yet to come across a business what hasn’t gone through periods of extreme stress and uncertainty this past 11 months. Yet, the ones who have kept going despite the curveballs they have been thrown, are the ones who have weathered the storm.
While it’s tempting to quit, give up, watch Netflix all day – whatever – remember this. It’s not the nature of the problem, it’s the way that you, as a business, deals with it that counts.
Importance of team – having a strong, loyal team that can be relied upon is absolutely crucial when things go wrong. In businesses where the culture is not aligned, it can feel very much like it’s every man for himself. Yet, with a strong team in place, you can bat them off like a row of baseball XXXXX
Keep connected – People Matter. They really do. As a business, keep talking to each other. Discuss the issues but don’t labour them – focus on the way forward. Communication is key here. Separation can build unease and anxiety, so make sure you are regularly holding team briefs, team get together or online Friday beers.
Keep smiling – It’s simple, but true. In the toughest of times
All that’s left to say is when life throws you lemons – make a gin and tonic!