Living With Crisis

My Dad found humour in my diligent need to plan for the future.  He believed in living in the present.  You can appreciate our lifelong conversations.  He passed away 12 years ago and I miss those talks.  He'd get a big laugh out of the pandemic we've found ourselves in for the past year.  I can hear him now, "How's your plan coming along?"

I argue that we are always living with crisis.  It's the severity and the pace of the changes that cause us stress.  This past year has put us to the test.  Moving forward means we must learn how to live with the fallout of the pandemic...for sure there is no going back to normal!  And 'new normal'?  That's a crock!

Here's what I've experienced and learned over the past year:

1. Keep planning for the future.  Without goals and objectives we die.
2. Be flexible.  Keep your eye on the present and be ready to change or pivot quickly.
3. Stay calm.  Getting excited brings an extra level of emotion to your decision making ability.  That's not good when in a crisis.  
4. Stop being a drama queen (or king).  There is enough crazy to go around.  Don't add to it with your own dramatic narrative.
5. Help others.  Our survival as a society depends on it!
6. Be decent to each other.  Rudeness was never in. 
7. Keep smiling!  That can be hard to do especially when things are not going well.  Your smile can help someone though...and that is worth something!

No, I'm not a psychologist so take the above list with a grain of salt.  It works for me...maybe it will help you live better through crisis.

Until next time...

Chris 

Decency Matters

When did decency stop mattering?  When did it become OK to treat others badly?  When did 'me, me, me' become the rallying cry?  

Decency stopped mattering when we chose to put ourselves first. Decency stopped mattering when we blatantly thought we were superior to someone else.  Decency stopped mattering when we chose to ignore it!

On my way to the office this morning the driver of a massive pickup truck urged me to move over!  She was obviously in a hurry. And to make her point, she attached her front bumper to the back of my car.  At least it felt that way...for almost 2 kilometers!  I need to point out that I was in the right lane of a two lane road already travelling above the posted speed limit.  Vehicles were ahead of me in both lanes.  My 'pull over' options were severely limited unless I jumped the curb!  High up in her jacked up pickup, she could clearly see the vehicles ahead over my much lower car.  Never mind, I was holding her up and she wanted to make sure I knew.  Decency died at 7:05 am.

Lined up 6 feet apart to checkout at the grocery store last Saturday, a man jumped the queue right in front of me because I was a second too long to advance in the line.  I held my tongue.  Even though I wanted to call him out!  Decency died at 11:35 am.

Decency dies every time we forget that we live in an interconnected society and forget that every individual action affects someone else...and in most cases, many other people.  I live in a condo apartment building and every time a person chooses not to wear a facemask inside, decency dies.

I'd like to bring decency back from the dead.  My plan is simply to be even more decent to everyone I meet and deal with.  My theory is that if  I'm decent to you, perhaps you will pay it forward.  I know it's not much and some days it feels like a loosing battle.  Those days are especially tough...I feel it's pointless.  But I'm a preserving guy and as long as I have a choice, I'll choose to be decent.

Until next time...

Chris Morales

 

7 Tips for Small Business Owners

7 Tips for Small Business Owners

1. Learn from your Customers.  Negative comments sting but that's where you learn the most.  I chose a mechanic based on how he responded to the One Star Reviews he received.  He was sincere and laid out plainly how he had offered to resolve the conflict.  Google Reviews is a start but don't forget comments on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and any Social Media Channel your customers use.
2. Make Customer Service your priority.  This is related to point #1.  Respond quickly when you hear from a customer with a problem.  Thank them for bringing their issue to your attention.  Acknowledge their problem and offer to fix it to their satisfaction.  This is a person who purchased your product or service...you worked hard to get them.  It's cheaper to keep them!
3. Stay in your lane.  You're a small business owner, not a global conglomerate.  You worked hard to find your niche. It's how you differentiate yourself from your competition and why your customers pay for your products and services.  Replicating your successful business model is how you maximize profit.
4. Be time-efficient.  There are 24 hours in a day, 7 days a week.  You already work more than the average corporate employee.  Don't waste time on unproductive, time wasting tasks.  Hire professionals to do the tasks that don't focus on growing your business and taking care of your customers.
5. Don't fear larger competitors. The bigger they are, the less agile they can be.  Take advantage of your ability to move quickly. If you can deliver the product or service before they respond to the quote, you win!  
6. Market like a pro.  Focus on three things:  email marketing, SEO, updates to your website.  Email is the underappreciated and underutilized marketing tool for small business.  Use MailChimp or Constant Contact to send professional emails to your customers and prospects.  Keep on top of what search terms your prospects are using to search for your business to keep your SEO fresh.  And...update your website with fresh content based on keyword search results.  Add a weekly blog post for more relevance.
7. Be flexible.  It's important to stay within your niche but be ready to pivot if the market changes...or if an opportunity presents itself.

Until next time...

Chris Morales

Born to be Stupid

I'm really angry right now!  I have been for quite some time and I'm growing angrier by the day.  The root of my anger are the stupid things that I've seen humans do to each other over the past year.  I can't help but feel that we are born to be stupid!  Please someone, prove me wrong!

• People who don't wear facemasks indoors!  COVID-19 is a virus that spreads through the air.  Wear a mask...stop the blast!
• Speeding in traffic.  That's right, cut me off to get 2 car lengths ahead!  You've saved 15 seconds of time and endangered the lives of numerous other drivers.
• SUVs.  Especially the big ones and the ones that cost upwards of $100,000.  Seriously? About as stupid as people who buy pickup trucks and don't need them for work.
• People who brag about working 100 hours a week.  Inventors and innovators get a pass on this but for the 99.9999% of the rest of us, you are a slave.  You are not very interesting.
• The smartest person in the room.  Some people say that...and believe it! OK, if I was having dinner with Einstein...

Maybe we are born to be stupid. We talk a mean streak about how smart we are but then we do some really dumb things.  When challenged, we explain it away.  A good friend recently shared how he deals with stupid people:  With a flick of his wrist, he waves them away!  I like that!

Want to explore more about human stupidity?  Here are a few links:

Do our organizations prefer stupidity?

6 causes of corporate stupidity

Organizational stupidity

So be warned.  I'm less tolerant of stupidity and I plan to stay angry about that for some time!

Until next time...

Chris