Given the current state of affairs with the coronavirus outbreak, the constant flux and uncertainty, organizations and individuals are challenged to prepare for a future that is unknown; the recovery timing is unclear and impossible to predict (but, there is a certainty that this cannot and will not go on forever; the challenge is identifying when this will break, surviving until then, and planning your professional and personal come back).
It is without equivocation that a “Challenger Mindset” is required more than ever in order to stay ahead of the change curve.
Looking for innovative ways of doing things, challenging the done and redone, and exploring the strategic “what ifs” is essentially what is required of everyone in an organization, not just those who lead and certainly not restricted to the entrepreneurs. It takes everyone. Even the smallest ideas can turn into something big.
The coronavirus is testing every leader in every company across all sectors across the globe (except maybe Amazon, Pharma, Toilet Paper roll?), whether it be Style, F&B, Hospitality, Travel or the Family Entertainment Industry, the global pandemic is sparing no one.
Take a look at how various industries are adapting to the current situation, adapting to change and even sharing a little kindness in the process.
- Take DJ D-Nice, who threw a party from his kitchen table this week Home School at #clubquarantine, a hashtag that became the #1 worldwide trend. Found on Facebook @callmednice DJ D-Nice said “something I was doing in my kitchen was able to touch the world.” Anyone in F&B and Entertainment will tell you that they require a venue and patrons (audience) to run their business, but DJ D-Nice and other entertainers are demonstrating otherwise. He performed a public service while changing the trajectory of his brand and business.image-2
- Fashion brands like LVMH, in a mere 72 hours have converted their perfume factories to meet France’s call for hand sanitizers.
- Tech gaming hardware, Razer is using some of its manufacturing lines to produce surgical masks.
- QuarterWorld, Portland arcade reacted to changes in demand and pivoted their business in a mere 24 hours, by renting-out their pinball machines to families quarantining at home.
- Virtual movie nights, digital happy hours and birthdays on video messaging platforms. A London-based drama group found a way to use Zoom video chat celebrate a preschooler’s birthday.
- Fine dining restaurants adjust to a brave new world as delivery and carryout dominate the scene.
- Pack Up + Go, a unique travel company launched the “Staycation program” to encourage travelers to be a tourist in their own cities.
- Supermarkets in Singapore have implemented dedicated shopping hours for “vulnerable” segments of community.
- Lady Bird bakery in Houston takes this opportunity to use leftover materials to create “quarantine cookies” and donating it for a good cause.
- Students at HKUGA College in Hong Kong, adapt to online learning amid class suspension.
- Amazon Prime Video, no subscription required.
Bottom line: every cloud has a silver lining, find yours, that is the challenge. And a Challenger Mindset is required to do that. Embed recognizes these are unsettling times, we are working hard to get through this, together. And together, we will.