It’s been 20+ days since we closed our offices, moved to a fully remote presence, and started trying to figure out how to come out of the COVID-19 crisis with little more than some bruises. The news is overwhelming. A constant barrage of statistics, updates, and new warnings. True to Texas-style, margaritas are available to-go, tequila included.
But let’s be real — all of the margaritas in the world can’t fix this…can’t fix what’s happened, and what is still happening to our nation and the world. The only option at hand is to shelter in place, both physically and mentally. To see if we can weather this absurd storm.
I imagine many of you, like me, are questioning your new reality. What does this new “normal” look like, and how does it affect the future? Personally, I’ve come to recognize how much I took for granted. Everything feels more profoundly “absent” from my life than I expected. I miss being able to see my friends, my colleagues and customers, and the people I met and talked with every day.
The worst part is, amidst all of this uncertainty and change, there’s this gravity that weighs even heavier to check in with these people that I am now told to “social distance” with. Right now, a human approach is the most important thing I can think of to contribute to anyone, be that personal or business-related.
On the business front, everyone says building relationships contribute to business growth. We say that at the heart of every customer and agency partnership sits people —people who do the work, people who lead the calls, and people on the front line of the programs.
It is at this moment, I recognize we cannot take good partnerships for granted anymore.
Right now, our people are working 24/7 to ensure as much information is passed to our customers as possible. They are working to mitigate risks and to plan for a number of unprecedented scenarios. The truth is, I always thought we had strong partnerships due to our active program management approach, which is core to our mission of delivering Digital Made for Humans™. However, in the last 20 days, I’ve seen our people lean into some of the best qualities we can display; these include approachable communication, completely customized information, and strong business acumen. It’s not about advertising or media at the moment, nor is it about impressions or click-thru rates. It’s about the future and the people, as a collective. Like I said before, it’s about doing what we can to weather the storm.
I do know, without a doubt, that we will get through this. The history of humanity, however, should teach us that what we do right now, and the actions we take will live much longer than any of us will. Our future is dependent on learning from this moment and making ourselves better as people and partners from this day forward.