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Who Is Your Friend?

22 March 2020

This a strange time. We are adapting to a new way of life, that we all have no experience of. Shops have bare shelves. There’s no school.

It sounds like the plot of a disaster movie (or film, as I insist on calling them, being of a certain age).

And despite the uncertainty that surrounds us, life must go on.

It’s heartening to see so many pubs and eateries turning themselves into impromptu take-aways and sharing their delicious menus on social media.

Being proactive is the only thing to do, when faced with a crisis.

There’s an old saying that runs thus:

“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time, is today.”

All the businesses out there who are facilitating home working, changing their service offering, working hard to support anxious staff and soothing nervous customers are all planting trees.

It will be interesting to see how many of the changes stick, over the long term. Restaurants will hopefully create new and loyal customers, who love the take-aways.

Once people settle into a pattern of home working, they may find they don’t want to go back to an office life. Businesses will change again and realise they can offer more flexible working patterns to people and perhaps reduce the size of their head office block and save money.

And amongst all this we need to ask:

“Who is our friend?”

Which businesses have been supportive of their staff and reassured them?

If we have to cancel tickets for hotels, or flights, which organisations have made it easy to do and done so with good grace?

Who is being helpful to the community?

In times of crisis we find out who are real friends are. Who is caring? Who supports us? Who values us as long term customers?

We can also ask ourselves if we are being a good friend to others.

A colleague was wondering if her business was going to survive and if she should pay the consultants who worked for her, or hang onto the money for herself.

I gently suggested that hanging on to the money was bad business. Paying our debts is at the top of ethical business practice and if we default on them people will remember for a long time.

It’s good karma to think of others and not just pull up our drawbridge and leave others out in the cold.

I hope she pays her debts, because she will need friends in the future.

So, this week we can all take a breath, think for a moment and ask ourselves just how friendly we are being to others in business?

And as a friend reminded me last week:

“It will be okay in the end and if it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”

I like that. It’s good to be optimistic and it’s good to be friendly towards others.

Otherwise, what’s the point of being in business?

Keep well. Stay safe.

Next week: A Brilliant Model For Home Working