In the early days of 2020, my company was closing in on a major milestone. We had our eyes fixed squarely on European expansion with hopes to get a team in the field and products to market. But there was a major problem. We had chosen to start in northern Italy, and weeks before our planned launch, the region became the epicenter of the first major COVID-19 outbreak on the continent. Everything stopped in its tracks.
A goal that had been on the horizon from the beginning of our company was no longer visible. It was the same story for— carefully laid plans and long-term goals were swept aside as safety and security rose to the forefront. In the days and weeks to come, we were met with the"new normal" — working from home, unable to meet with customers in person, onboarding new employees over webcam.
Fast-forward 18 months and new COVID waves continue to shift back-to-work plans; supply chains remain unreliable; safety protocols are still evolving. Indeed, for so many businesses, the pandemic has translated to a crisis of focus: managing day-to-day realities and traumas has overshadowed the pursuit of bigger goals.
There are no easy answers here. But beyond fundamentals like embracing adaptability and resilience, I've found a few relatively simple strategies that helped keep us from getting derailed and keep expansion in our sights.Business philosophies are a dime a dozen, but there's one that we incorporated into our strategy and actually found extremely useful.
Take those big goals. I used to review them once a quarter. I could rattle them off in my sleep and just assumed everyone else could, too. Turns out that was a case of executive tunnel vision. Now, we start each meeting by running through our purpose, our short-term goals and our ultimate goal. This level of repetition can feel uncomfortable as a leader, but it's so important — especially today.