Clear your head of fear, frustration, and confusion. Easier said than done, isn’t it? Below you’ll find ideas that help with that, too. But, first, let me say this, IF you are fighting on the outside, there’s pain on the inside.
A business owner that I know, Jennifer Roberts of Mabel’s, posted a video on FB earlier this week. In it she shared the heroic efforts of her young, mostly teenage employees to handle long lines for curbside pickup, customers who weren’t following the governor’s recommendations for social distancing, and who were being rude. Jennifer then went on to explain why Mabel’s would not serve those customers. Their money would be refunded. As if this isn’t stressful enough, young vulnerable employees are subjected to this kind of behavior from customers… and we know Mabel’s isn’t the only business impacted by this kind of behavior.
Mabel’s is one of the businesses that is going to recover. Mabel’s will come out of this experience with readiness and resilience. Jennifer, and her daughter, Denali Roberts, have put together a business model that is going to thrive. They pivoted – from dine-in to curbside carryout, and delivery. They found a way to deliver the spectacular presentations of their Crazy Shakes™ and Craft Burgers. It’s amazing that in the midst of survival, the staff is having to deal with unnecessary push back from the customers. Of course, we know it’s because everybody is stressed and showing the strain in different ways.
For those of you who feel at the end of your rope, stressed to the max, with one last tiny shred of nerve left after eight weeks of quarantine, WFH, trying to schedule deliveries, curbside pickups and making things work…. Try this.
Take a deep breath, then remember who you are and what you are capable of doing in the world – even when you’re scared, lonely, and frustrated with rude customers. Then, plan.
I’ve spoken with business owners, leaders of non-profits, as well as those who serve both over the past few weeks. Every person has experienced some form of change that has impacted the way he or she lives life, and conducts business, every day. People are figuring out how to make the changes and its working to move them toward recovery.
Recovery doesn’t look the same for everyone. The heartbreaking part is that for some people that means closing their businesses for good. Others are coming out with new revenue streams, sad looking bank accounts, or totally new crew of employees which means training, rehiring less than ideal candidates, and the loss of routine.
Here’s what I find awe inspiring: you’re doing it. You’re changing, coping, evolving imperfectly; united in your efforts. You amaze me. Turn on the news and it looks like we’re all going to hell in a hand basket, on the very edge of survival.
With a deeper look, I see people struggling to do business and to live life to the best of their abilities. You’re doing those things together. I see gratitude to frontline workers. Thoughtful kindnesses are received with generosity. People of all ages giving freely across fences, down hallways and via FaceTime. That fills me with great faith in your resilience.
I come from a long line of survivors. You can drag us through the dirt, kick us while we’re down, and we get back up to do it all again another day. I come from generations of people who had grit and built resilience. Sound familiar? My guess is, all of you have similar stories. You’re made of grit. You have resilience in your DNA. You can do this.
