Embracing and Strategizing the "New Normal"

The world is changing; businesses are changing – and so are business relationships.  The “old way” of social interactions in business isn’t exactly gone - but it is mutating to fit present circumstances.  Some of that change is good, revitalizing – but not all.  Why is this?  Businesses – just like relationships – change naturally over time.  However, the change is usually a little more gradual than what we’re seeing now. 

We’ve all heard the adage:  adversity brings out the very best and the very worst in people.  Take for example, an ice cream shop in Massachusetts – having shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic, the owner decided to reopen “safely” on the Friday before Mother’s Day.  Gathering his best employees and donning masks, he opened his shop to a business’ dream…customers…lots of customers.  What started as a welcomed return to the community very quickly devolved into an outrageous nightmare.  Customers were yelling; customers became verbally abusive.  Over ice cream?  Seriously??  Shocked, the owner (Mark Lawrence) decided to close up his shop again.  Before doing so – he made a profound statement: “People have forgotten how to treat other human beings in the six or seven weeks that they’ve been confined to their homes. They have no clue how to respect other human beings”.

Is this the new normal that we’re looking for?  How do we use the present conditions to our advantage in business? First, we need to look at potential causes – root causes – of the behavior.  Being a people watcher, my observation is that many people seem to be going through the cycles of grief:  SHOCK (what’s going on!) > DENIAL (virus won’t affect me) > ANGER (don’t tell me what to do) > BARGAINING (social distancing during the week; mega party on the weekend) > DEPRESSION (everything is lost) > TESTING (have to find a way) > ACCEPTANCE (strategy found!).

Some are able to move quickly through the stages...others find themselves struggling into a looping pattern...usually caught between stages of denial and anger.  Acceptance of the new normal simply means finding a way to constructively strategize the best way to move forward.  I’ve found that a simple, yet effective 3-point mechanism can work:  REVIEW – RESET – RECOVER.

Review – this is an honest assessment of the good, bad, ugly and outright atrocious business interactions.  What behaviors would you like to see “disappear” – both as a business provider and as a customer?

Reset – what’s the “ideal state”?  How do you optimize the situation to change business interactions for the better?  There’s an old saying about never having a second chance to make a first impression…but…you can try a reset since everyone is a bit off-kilter and are probably doing the same.  Some recognize and embrace the opportunity – others may not even realize that they need to.  One of my favorite mantras is that “if you don’t create change…change will create you” (Anonymous). 

Recover – you know what you don’t like; you know what you would like…so now it’s time to take action.  Make it happen!  Put your new ideals into practice.  People will start to accept the “new normal” and you’re able to create a historical change to be proud of.

Easy, right?  For some, it can be; others will need a little help; still others will remain in the loop searching for a way to make it all like it was before.  Change is hard for many.  Having a clear strategy to clear the path will reduce stress...and hopefully bring a peaceful reality.