Sarah Lavelle Bowden, our associate coach and mentor, saw an opportunity in the 2005 recession when she took her niche equestrian business online to make it a market leader…
In our One Thing series, Sarah, who is currently experiencing the challenges of being a supplier to the manufacturing and construction industry, talks about allowing ourselves time to reflect and process during lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic:
“We ‘normalise’ things so quickly and, as business leaders, we condition ourselves to try and deal with challenges quickly and to move on. During this pandemic everyone – our bosses, employees, friends and families – have all experienced some kind of ‘loss’ over quite a long time since Covid-19.
Self-empathy is important to give us the opportunity to understand and process the changes we’ve encountered and the sacrifices each of us has had to make. We need to allow time, apply patience and give consideration to ourselves and the others around us.
We don’t necessarily have to ‘carry on as normal’. These are extraordinary times. We may need to consider adapting and changing the way we work together in the short term. Changing and adapting, in an honest and transparent environment with clear and regular communication – from our staff to our customers and right through our supply chains – can avoid frustrations. Finding a way forward together can create positivity and a feeling of achievement. It’s not that we can’t, it’s that we may have to take a different route.
Getting through the difficult times together will also create stronger bonds and loyalties amongst teams and loyalty from business partners and consumers, as well as respect and appreciation.”