If you’re still reeling from the news of the last few weeks—or days—you’re not alone. Businesses all over the world are scrambling to protect employees, figure out remote work schedules, reforecast revenues, or simply keep the doors open.

No organization will manage all of this perfectly, but some will find ways to strengthen the relationships with their customers and their employees, to expand their understanding of their business, and solidify their own commitment to their values.

Leading with your core values

I’ve been trying out a software program called Loom recently. It’s a video tool that allows you to record your voice while recording a video of your screen—clearly a useful product that just got a lot more useful. I received an email from them this week cutting their pricing in half and extending their free trials. I thought, “Man, that is how you do it.”

They could’ve doubled or even tripled their prices and people would’ve kept buying, but they leaned into their core values.

“To us, these recent trends make it obvious that we must take action and take action now. It also makes evident how, should we change nothing about our existing pricing model, we stand to profit from the rise of a global pandemic. This is obviously and unequivocally wrong.” from Loom’s Website

I’m not suggesting that you go lower prices—not everyone’s market increases during a pandemic. But I am suggesting that your core values are being put to the test right now. This is the time to demonstrate them—to your customers and to your employees.

Take care of yourself

If you’re operating from a place of panic, you may feel like there’s no time to practice self care. The admonishment to put your own oxygen mask on first is overused, but there’s a reason—because it’s true.

It’s normal to feel anxious. Everyone else is feeling it too. But if you’re not able to focus on your next move, you won’t be able to lead your business or your team through this. Be aware about where your head is, and do what you need for self care.

Exercise. Meditate. Hike. Cook. Sleep. You can’t take care of others until you take care of yourself.

Get prepared

None of us knows exactly what’s going to happen, but we can all take steps to prepare. If you think revenues could go soft, don’t wait for it. Run your scenarios: what happens if sales slow down? What happens if clients don’t pay on time?

Start to think about your spending now. Make cuts if you need to. Being in the race is much better than catching up.

If you’re going to need additional capital, ask yourself where you can look for capital that you’ve never looked before. Spend some time exploring the possibilities of interim funding, and find a way to keep tabs on what the government is offering. There’s a lot of chaos around what’s available, and every business’s needs are going to be different.

This is also a good time to make a note to self: Going forward, what can I do that will keep me prepared for possible scenarios? If you’re not naturally a planner, it’s time to become one. And not just one plan, but contingency plans for various probable outcomes.

Engage with your customers

I’m not talking about increasing your posts on social media or sending out extra email campaigns.

What customers really want right now is connection. People are overwhelmed and anxious and looking for ways to get through an unprecedented situation. Reach out to your clients and customers and ask them how they’re doing. You may find that they need something you are primed to offer.

I’m working with another coach to do a weekly open session for all of our clients because we know that they want and need interaction—not just with us but with each other.

If you’re on social media or Slack, direct message people. Reach out personally or to small groups. Tailor your message to the individuals you’re contacting. Be present and intentional.

Expand your thinking

What was working a month ago might not be working right now. It’s time to find new things that work.

At Trajectify, we were in the midst of planning several events because our clients really like connecting in person, and I’ve never really liked webinars. But guess what? We’re working on a webinar (a live online workshop), and I’m learning to like them because online connection is better than no connection.

One of our partners created a new assessment to determine a person’s effectiveness at working remotely, and it turns out this is a great time to put together an initiative around that. We’ve been expanding our business geographically, so we’ve been thinking a lot about remote work anyway.

No one wants a crisis like COVID-19, but times of instability and uncertainty give you an opportunity to look at your business from the outside in. It’s really a massive opportunity to see your business with a fresh perspective.

Leading your employees

Now is the time to step up your engagement with your employees, to be a coach and a rock—to be warm, caring, vulnerable and authentic. It’s also the time to provide clear direction on goals and strategies for moving forward.

Commit to communication

Like all people, your employees will fill gaps in information with conjecture, stories, and rumors. Communicate early and often, not just about the logistics of the “new normal” within your organization but about how you’re feeling and the challenges you are navigating as a leader.

Maintaining strong communication during a crisis like this requires intentionality, especially if you’re not used to being a remote organization. Increase the frequency of your one-on-one meetings. Schedule group meetings where everyone can come together to talk about what they’re working on as well as ways they can give or receive support.

Some of our clients use tools like Donut to help encourage informal communications—that “watercooler talk” that helps people feel like part of a team—among their employees.

Provide direction

If there was ever a time for top-down planning, this is it. Identify your immediate, business-critical goals and communicate them regularly to your employees. Be clear about projects or programs that are being put on the back-burner so that employees are not left wondering where to focus their time and energy.

Help employees understand and rally around the necessary strategies and tactics as well as metrics for success, which may look very different from those of a few months ago. Consistent messaging to your team can provide stability during times of uncertainty.

It’s Scary

Prepared or not, no leader is ever truly ready for everything that might hit them. This COVID-19 pandemic seemed at first to be a tap on our shoulders, and quickly escalated into a punch in the gut with the ensuing economic, commercial, and social ramifications.

I once wrote about fear being a negative emotion that is in response to a threat which is not likely to happen. The feeling of fear might cause a leader to become risk-averse or think too “lean.”

Until a few months ago, I am not sure many business leaders were afraid of a pandemic. That it is now upon us and we are currently facing great uncertainty about its mid and long-term effects definitely warrants fear. In the article, I suggested that when we do feel fear, “maybe we can harness it, making it a motivator.”

Growth comes at the end of our comfort zone, I’ve also shared. We need to venture into the context where we don’t know what we don’t know. It’s scary, but we’ll grow from having done it.