Lessons Learned

On Wednesday after Huddle, I gathered everyone in the company together and divided them into three groups, according to our core Tenets: attract and retain exceptional people, build remarkable products and experiences, and strive for operational excellence . We had decided long ago that these Tenets were how we were going to achieve our Vision, so it made sense to look into these three areas to see where we could improve.

The teams spent an hour each and then presented their recommendations back to the rest of the company:

Attract and retain exceptional people

➤ More video conferences for a human connection

➤ Check-in on team member’s stress levels and help to manage it with offerings like yoga classes and counseling sessions

➤ Look to build up with contractors and freelancers as we grow to give us flexibility if another recession should hit

Build remarkable products and experiences

➤ Continue developing and selling PR services

➤ Quarterly brainstorm on potential new service offerings

➤ More frequent check-ins with clients to be aware of their business and industry

➤ Everyone in the company should network more, because (as we learned) you never know where the next client relationship will come from

Strive for operational excellence

➤ Aggressively save and protect our cash position

➤ Creatively structure payment terms with clients and vendors

➤ Look for ways to be more efficient with our time (possibly shorter meetings, etc.)

➤ Everyone should have a time optimization plan for how they spend their days

➤ Dig into how much office space we need and what work from home options we can offer now that we have shown we can run successfully in a remote situation

Each of their ideas had come from what we learned during the crisis. I was very proud of what they had come up with. But of course, the real work would be to execute these ideas. And I’d be careful not to rush too many of the ideas, per Charles’s advice.

Key point: After a crisis, assess how you performed and diligently look at the new ways you will operate the business. Learning from a crisis (and our mistakes) is the best way to grow as a leader.

There was one more thing I wanted to put in place...