Without a playbook, you need a compass

By David Paragamian

In these uncertain times, I have been reflecting on how so much of business life -- in any business -- works from a "playbook.” If you are a brand manager working on this year's plan, you can always look at last year's plan as a reference point of some value. If you are a newly promoted Vice President of Sales, you undoubtedly can draw upon your interactions and observations with the prior VP of Sales -- what about how she/he did the job do you want to emulate and what do you want to do differently? Playbooks.

Enter the global COVID-19 pandemic. Information about the risks to individuals, communities, and businesses changes not just daily but often by the hour. There definitely is no pre-existing playbook for how to lead and care for your people and run a business in this environment.

Enter the compass.

The most important tool we have in this, or any crisis moment, is our internal compass. We need to make decisions based off the true north point. It is the core, internal North Star that will help guide us as we think through questions like, "What should I do to protect the well-being of my employees and colleagues?"; "What do I need to do to ensure business continuity to the customers I serve?" It's about asking ourselves what is RIGHT in this moment. What would I want to know if I were an employee with concerns? What would I want to know if I were a customer concerned about my supply or flow of goods or services?

No, we don't have a playbook here. That's why we see such divergent communication from different companies and national leaders. But, hopefully, we do have an internal North Star. Forget searching for a playbook. Trust your compass.