2020 was a crazy year filled with experiences and challenges, but let’s pause to think through some valuable lessons that may have been learned.
There have been tremendous disruptions and invaluable lessons. Don’t Waste them.
The big question in business circles these days is “what did you learn during the pandemic?” It is important to learn and embrace new ways of thinking, rather than sticking our heads in the sand and hoping the problems go away and they return to normal. There have been tremendous disruptions and invaluable lessons. Here are my top seven business takeaways.
1. Refocus my mission and vision. “Why am I here? And what do I want to accomplish?” “My why” is to do good. I believe in integrity, excellence, inspiration, and the love of serving. I want to offer value to people. “My what” is to build long-term relationships and partnerships. I understand that my business model is a little different from other staffing firms. And I’m okay with that.
2. Leadership is not an option. I must continue to grow and accept the responsibility of leadership. I do realize this is not my strong suit, however, in times of uncertainty leadership is vital. I need to be accountable for helping people feel safe and challenge them to move and grow to new levels. During tough times people may be afraid and can’t see the way forward. I must lead them.
3. Appreciate loyalty. The question is really, what and who is loyal. This has never been more important. Are my staff and clients loyal? This means my staff will stand by my side through thick and thin, and will clients spend effort and money to be associated with me. I found that there are very few loyal people in my network. I will stay loyal to my staff and clients. I’m thankful for the PPP loans during the shut-down, they allowed me to pay staff whether they worked or not.
4. No substitute for professionalism. I must show up and offer my best even when I don’t feel like it, even when I’m afraid. I have committed to my people to show up every day! We’ve been working overtime since the pandemic began providing services to essential businesses. My team is still terribly busy finding jobs for people looking to get back to work. We’ve been an important resource for companies and candidates during the crisis. And we will continue to offer our best.
5. Be flexible and act fast. I am focusing on our talent strategy and increasing our knowledge to develop new ways to help clients emerge stronger. Many firms can benefit from our help and I’m positioning DaMar to deliver value. The speed and scale of change today are extraordinary. DaMar must be resilient and adaptable to succeed.
6. Focus on top priorities. I now think in terms of high-priority and the critical things needed to keep business moving forward. I’m improving my process to become more effective in time management. I have learned to think on paper, keeping daily notes. Making an essential list of high-priority items helps me control stress. I am practicing the art of project triage and focus.
7. Don’t just recover, reinvent. I am thinking creatively to be stronger and reshape the way we do business. I have learned that DaMar Staffing is not for everyone. We are not the cheapest or the fastest, but we are incredibly good at finding win-win solutions for our clients and candidates. My team is enthusiastic about what they do, and everyone puts their heart and soul into being an excellent resource. We are prepared to work hard and do the heavy lifting to deliver value. We are on the front lines fighting for victory every day.
DaMar Staffing has won the trust of many clients and candidates because we accomplish reliable results. The coronavirus has forever changed the world. This crisis has disrupted everything we do. However, these seven lessons have made us better; we are more streamlined and staffed with loyal and committed people who are empathic. We are better positioned to serve our people. I invite those who believe what we believe to work together to find great innovative ideas to improve life’s situations.
DaMar Staffing Solutions takes an unconventional approach to recruiting and staffing solutions for clients. As a strategic partner, the DaMar team is constantly on the hunt for those rare people who are among the best at what they do. DaMar Staffing is located at 8900 Keystone Crossing, Suite 1060, Indianapolis, IN 46240. DaMarStaff.com