Plot Your Company's Strategy in COVID Era and Beyond

Christian Stadler writes about strategy for Forbes and says, "If companies take an honest look at their strategic plans last year, how many factored in COVID-19?"  He goes on to say, "AI and forecasting work well for existing customers and markets in stable environments. Regardless of whether we get a vaccine or not, the era we are entering now is not one of them."

Read on to learn 3 ways Stadler believes a world characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) calls for new ways to plot the future.

Men Have It Easier

More than half of female small business owners say men have it easier.  Fifty-four percent of women-owned businesses feared they’d have to permanently shut their doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research.

The study, commissioned by Groupon and conducted by OnePoll, aimed to understand how women small business owners are meeting the challenges COVID-19 presents.

Learn more here.

5 Business Owners Share Their Tips on Thriving During COVID-19

The five businesses highlighted in the article below for GoDaddy (Open We Stand unit) have been thriving through COVID-19 and we can all learn important lessons from them during this time. They reexamined their strategies, got creative, and made tough decisions on how to adapt and sustain long-term growth for their businesses.

Here are five key tips we can learn from these small business owners that can impact our own strategies going forward into the future.  Two of the business owners featured are former and current WPO members.

Read more:  What we can learn from these 5 small businesses thriving through COVID-19

One Woman's Battle with COVID-19

With COVID-19, it's likely you know someone who has gotten it – a colleague, a neighbor or family member.  And should that be the case, you can always lend a helping safe hand – from a distance – and have the person realize they are never alone.

Read this story about one woman's journey getting COVID-19 and how she discovered a support team to help her.

Introverts Versus Extroverts during COVID-19

This says it all:

While memes are hailing introverts as those best equipped to deal with shelter-at-home mandates, some introverts don't agree. "It’s exhausting. I've taken to sitting in my car for a while in the evening if I just need quiet," says Katie Schmidt Murray, a freelance photographer and graphic designer in Silver Spring, Maryland. 

Read the article and challenge the notion whether it is easier for introverts to stay home versus extroverts.

The New Normal: Social Distancing

As social distancing becomes the new normal, some famous women business owners are offering encouragement to social media followers.

What are they saying about the novel coronavirus and its effects on our everyday lives?

Learn more from women entrepreneurs who offer levity and lessons during covid-19.

Women Leading in the COVID-19 Response

Solving health emergencies like COVID-19 demands the best minds the world has to offer – in health systems strengthening, therapeutic R&D and more.  We know diverse teams lead to more innovation, and neglecting half the talent pool, such as women, limits our ability to make life-saving choices.

Already, women comprise the bulk of the world’s frontline health workers, shouldering the burden of strenuous work, while increasing their own risk of infection. With the novel coronavirus, women have played a central role: take China, where 90 percent of the nurses and nearly half the doctors are female.

We must build the systems to support women’s leadership in global health before the next disaster strikes.  Read on to learn why we need women's leadership more than ever in the COVID-19 response.

Help Flatten the Curve

When it comes to fighting COVID-19, enabling staffers to work from home is just the start.  Employers should be doing more to protect their workers’ well-being as the COVID-19 outbreak continues.

Here are 5 ways employers must help flatten the curve (provided by a doctor).

Before Announcing Deep Layoffs, Read This

Many business owners are considering layoffs to ensure they make it through the COVID-19 crisis — and a recent survey found that a vast majority of corporate leaders are considering some sort of financial action as a result of the pandemic.

To be sure, a cost-cutting reflex is understandable. Leaders are obligated to make responsible decisions to keep their companies afloat. But those who manage the economic effects of this crisis in a clear and compassionate way create more value for their companies and will come out of this pandemic stronger than ever before.

So before announcing deep layoffs, we recommend that you consider these five measures first.

1. Communicate openly
2. Share the pain
3. Crowdsource ideas with employees
4. Review all options
5. Have "Ice in the Belly"

Read more:  The Coronavirus Crisis Doesn’t Have to Lead to Layoffs

How to Quarantine and Chill During the Coronavirus Outbreak

The hashtag #QuarantineAndChill is actually a thing having to do with the intense cycle of anxiety-inducing news about Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), and it could be a nice distraction from a lot of the uncertainty we’re currently facing at the moment.

More people will be working from home over the coming weeks, which could lead to a lot of stir-craziness.

How you quarantine and chill is up to you, but the internet has lots of advice for how to make the most of your time indoors.

Go forth and socially distance yourself!