Your world as you know it is over

We can argue and discuss how life, business and social interactions were in the Pre-COVID world, however, none of this changes the fact that the world we know is over and we need to refocus our activity on positive things.

To enable us to continue to go about our daily lives and enjoy family, health and business, we now have to fully concentrate on things we can control. From a business perspective, it is about how we can assist our clients, peers, employees and contractors.

We all witnessed in pre-COVID world how many gurus and ‘prophets’ there were seeking to charge you to listen to their success stories. We should not be focusing our efforts on them.

So, who am I? Who are you? You are true unsung business heroes, true disciples of success and above all, determined to be on the front foot of life and business. I am a businessman who in my early years experienced the horrors of war and how it effects people. It also proved to me that I was capable of creating my own destiny.

That old way of life and thinking is over, you don’t need prophets, gurus and high paid executives to tell you how to run your business. You now have the full authority and credibility to share your wisdom and knowledge to others on how to stay afloat.

When you wake up in the morning, instead rushing to the internet and being fed bad news about the virus, crime or natural disasters, do yourself a favour. Wake up and say to yourself, “Today will be a great day” followed by putting on the biggest smile and then ask yourself, “what do I truly want from life” – after all you may be the only person who will never lie to you!

Say hello to your family, ask them how they are. Say hello to your neighbours, whether you like them or not. Say hello, they will feel alive or perhaps they will tell you to FO, who knows.

Come into your office, or have your team zoom call, and say hello to your peers and employees. Maybe buy them an occasional coffee if you are together in person. Not because you are a charity but to show gratitude. Why are you doing this? To show respect, kindness and motivate your employees. They will appreciate it, trust me.

Reply to your emails, don’t keep your clients and suppliers waiting. Pick up the phone and call few clients and ask them how they are. They will welcome it. Don’t ask them for work, just smile and ask them how their day is.

Open that journal of yours with ideas, concepts and blueprints. Choose some to follow through. Sit next to employees and ask them what they are doing today and how you can help them. Then relax, you are already showing leadership qualities and displaying courage that no gurus can teach you.

Try to feed that starving feeling for business development inside of you through networking. Be targeted, chose whom you spend time with, as not all introductions are made equal.

Take the time to go to gym, see your GP to get a for blood exam and to check your blood pressure. Show up to our meetings feeling healthy. Repeat this action so often that it becomes a discipline. The healthy leader in you will project to clients that you are present, reliable and dedicated. Ask for and help instill this into your employees.

No one can promise you what your tomorrow will be like. Work on creating your own legacy and empire. Write books, diaries, blogs and share your wisdom or whatever you fancy, but do it so that others can learn from your mistakes.

Life is risky, after all, it is so risky that no one will live forever. Many of your old risk management processes are now more or less useless and you need to create new ones. Adapt to this crisis and the constantly changing situation. Do not collect your information from social media and sensationalist websites, as these will sidetrack you. Instead use local newspapers, coffee shops and conversations with real people. Do not rely on social media influencers and their ‘awesome’ tips.

Life is about living and for you to keep winning, you need to minimise strategic thinking. Instead, take a tactical approach by focusing on your local market and things you can control. You are clearly winning and when you win, your clients win, your employees get paid and everyone will see you as a person they can rely on.

Deliver services and goods that you know you can deliver using logistics that you can see and feel. That may sound obvious but when you challenge yourself, you may not be doing this.

While in combat, I was taught to use my senses and intuition along with my formal training, and business is all about what you can see, touch, smell, hear or taste. That’s what this new COVID business model is all about. Welcome to the new world.