The Speech

“It is important for you all to know that we have been building our company for this exact moment, even if we weren’t aware of it before.”

I paused and looked around the room at all the faces of our agency’s team members.

Just like before, I had rehearsed this speech. And I was just as nervous. We didn’t know how long it would be, but we did know the mandated work-from-home quarantine would last a while.

Charles had reminded me that words are important, and talking with the leadership team earlier that day had confirmed it. I’d prepared for this. We had the right words to use as our guide. It was up to me to bring everyone along.

“Let us start by remembering that our purpose is to inspire happiness through positive relationships, impactful work, and doing good .”

I paused, and the company joined in. “Our vision is to be sought after by the world’s best companies for our creative problem-solving . We will do this by attracting and retaining exceptional people, building remarkable products and experiences, and striving for operational excellence . We believe in putting the team first, thinking positively, celebrating diversity, doing good, and having fun .”

We always started each meeting by reciting our PVTV. I was proud of this team.

Smiling, I continued. “And we have to keep in mind that we are building a forever company. We need to react swiftly and smartly during these times, but also keep the long-term view in mind. It’ll be critical as we go through the months of uncertainty ahead of us.”

I had their attention, so I kept going.

“You know we’ve focused hard on having a strong, meaningful purpose, woven deeply into the core of our company. All those fun ways we’ve brought it to life—the t-shirts, the songs, the challenges—they’re all going to help remind us of the importance of our purpose as times get hard over the next days and weeks, and maybe even months. We have to lean into our purpose right now, more than ever.”

The faces were looking at me and one another, intently and with a little worry starting to show. I took a deep breath, mentally reminded myself of the power of these words, and continued.

“What does that look like? Well, let’s start by inspiring happiness in each other. Your teammates will need you, and you’ll need them. And our partners will need our grace, our honesty, and our attention. Remember, they’re going through this as well.”

“We’re prepared for this moment because we’re comfortable with seeing and reacting to our financials. When we initially decided to make our financials transparent and to educate everyone on financial literacy, we didn’t do it because we knew one day we’d face a massive economic crisis. We did it because it’s the right way to run a business. We did it because we want everyone to feel like a trusted, important part of the company. But right now, with what we’re all about to go through, it will prove to be one of the smartest things we’ve done. Because you’ll see the real-time financial changes we experience, and you’ll be able to help us prepare and problem-solve our way through it.”

We had maintained open-book management for years. It wasn’t always easy, but it was one of the biggest drivers of our financial success year after year and a reason for our industry-leading employee retention numbers. Every Wednesday morning, we have “The Huddle” when we dig into the numbers and important updates as a company. It has become our town hall, with a financial bent.

“Without a doubt, our focus on ‘striving for operational excellence’ has put us in a strong cash position and has kept our business lean and mean. Our weekly Huddles will be even more vital for digging deep into the numbers. And I encourage you, as always, to ask the tough questions when we meet.”

I knew we had the tools we needed to start strong. And I believed we were as prepared as we could be.

“It’s not enough to start strong, gang. We also have to try to visualize the ending as clearly as we can. Honestly? I don’t know how this will end. But I can tell you one thing for sure. Our number one priority will be taking care of each other. And I guarantee that we’ll be even more open with our numbers and decisions than ever before.”

“We will be a stronger team in the end. We will have gone through a very trying and stressful time, and we will have done it together. We will do it with grace. I believe we will be better stewards of our business in the future thanks to the new strategies and process improvements we come up with during this period. And I believe our relationships will be stronger than ever because our partners will have seen us help them in whatever way we can.”

I’d painted a good picture. People were nodding. But it was time for the tough part—the middle.

“Here’s what I don’t know...actually, what none of us knows. We can’t predict the middle. We’re going to start strong, and we will come out with our heads held high. We will be stronger and better for it. But the time in between is the hard work, and that will be up to all of us. We’ll stay true to our purpose and continue to deepen our belief in why we’re all a part of this company. We will remain diligent about adhering to our values. And we will continue to make smart, sound decisions with the end in sight. And if we do, we will make it through this.”

I took a deep breath and nodded. There were some teary eyes. My leadership team was holding steady. We were facing this together.

“I love you all. I am here for you. And I know we will be there for each other every step of the way. Now, let’s do this.”

And then we packed up our things and left the office unsure of when we’d see each other again. Even unsure who among us would actually be coming back.

I was the last one to leave, and while I locked up, I took one final look around.

Let’s do this, indeed.