Of course, we’re not technically ‘post pandemic’. Covid is still very much around and is a problem for many, but it’s now become something we’re accepting that we have to live with. Life as we once knew it is starting to return, and if you’re really lucky, your lockdown days will have had a silver lining. If you started a business during lockdown or expanded the one you already had for example, then you’re probably at the stage now where you’re learning to navigate this new stage as a company owner. Here are a few skills that are well worth working on.
Communication
As a business owner, you of course need to be able to communicate effectively. You’re bringing your ideas to life with the help of your employees, so you need to be able to let them know exactly what you need from them. You will also need to be able to communicate well with suppliers, customers and clients. Because of the pandemic you will likely have needed to find new ways to communicate with your staff, whether it be over the phone, video chats and online messaging. It goes to show that being adept in all types of communication is important, not just face to face.
Empathy
As a company owner, this is more important than ever given the times we’re living in. All of us have experienced disruption, disappointment and heartbreak in some form or another due to the covid crisis over the past couple of years. So when it comes to your employees, be mindful that everyone is likely to be dealing with one issue or another as a result of the crisis- from long covid to grieving loved ones, and much more. This can impact people’s work lives, being empathetic is far better than being overly strict (which research has shown can add to workplace anxiety and actually decrease performance). Do what you can to keep up morale, you could offer company incentives and reward good behavior. Things like employee of the month could be celebrated with a token coin such as these at Challenge Coins Ltd. Additional support could be offered to employees that genuinely need it.
Leadership
As the boss of a company, you are your employees leader. In smaller companies particularly where staff aren’t working under a line manager or supervisor, your employees will look directly to you for leadership and guidance. If your business is new then your employees will still be finding their footing, but even if your business has been around for a while, chances are things have changed slightly over the course of the last eighteen months. Maybe you had to move to selling online, perhaps you had to switch up some of your products or carve out new supply chains due to issues caused by the pandemic. Being a strong leader will reflect to your employees who will then put their trust in you.
Problem Solving
Being able to come up with creative solutions is important for any business owner, but right now, being able to think outside the box is more more useful than ever. Most likely you’ll have already had to change numerous things to work to the (ever changing) law, from it’s implementing social distancing to enabling staff to work from home, offering contact free deliveries and changing up your marketing methods. Continue being flexible, adapt and solving problems as they arise. As we might be in a settled ‘post pandemic’ phase right now where everything is under control, but we’ve seen first hand how things can change.
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