Marcia answers leadership questions

A. It’s fascinating during these times when communication is paramount that some customers feel that their vendors and partners have disappeared. Others find that they are in constant contact and well-supported. During these first eight months of chaos, teams either stepped up, assessed the new situations, and pivoted to meet customers’ needs, or they hunkered down.

We’re more than eight months into this pandemic. Organizations need to pivot and escalate to meet clients’ or a new market’s needs rapidly. Communicating frequently with various methods (calls, emails, text message, newsletters, Zoom meetings, webinars) are all possible. Use a variety and see what works best for your customers.

A. Being able to prioritize and focus is a path to developing great leadership. Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur with a long To Do list, or you’re managing 10, 100, or 1000 people, there are only 24 hours in a day and only a few issues you can focus on. To decide what to prioritize and where to focus your time and your organization’s time, start with your Aim and its link to your Customers. What are you trying to accomplish to serve your customers? That’s where you begin.

Make time to listen to your customers. Start everyday with that focus. Read their e-mails and talk to them. If you spend several hours a day focused on communicating with customers and then planning with your team how to deliver what they need, the clarity of how to lead your people and manage your business should become very clear. Then step back and think, Will this take us into the future? What’s your vision in the short and the longer term?

Have a great week!