Is Your Bottle of Purell Half Full or Half Empty?

While the only certainty seems to be the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and its ultimate impact, there is another certainty: that we will get through this and recover. And as our hearts go out to everyone impacted or suffering with the virus, we also believe, now more than ever, business leaders need to maintain perspective, and keep our eyes open for opportunity to make a difference with our customers.

We think the opportunities fit into three themes worth considering.

The first is not to panic. The world is not ending; but rather as my partner and colleague Matt Garrett characterized it, it’s paused. And like pressing a pause button on a streaming video, its caching and ready to move forward for a long time once the “go” button is lit. Not to make it seem that easy, but leadership is largely defined by having the vision, pragmatism and commitment to a steady course, even among treacherous conditions. And while conditions right now are indeed as such, growth and conflict go hand-in-hand. Deal with the circumstances but maintain the course, especially if it points towards customers and your team.

Which leads to the second theme of being ready for the inevitable recovery. While unfortunately not all businesses will recover, those that have strong brands, strong financials and strong customer — and employee — commitments will have the fastest and most prosperous recoveries. Even businesses with two of those three should be able to do well, especially if they shore up the third. There is nothing so formidable in business as a strong brand with a customer focus.

Some new initiatives to enable social distancing might be further adopted post-recovery. Retailers adopting curbside pick-up, for example, makes sense for the pure benefit of convenience and a better customer experience, and that will still be true in the future.

Regardless of the time frame, there are companies (listed below) doing things to fundamentally assert leadership and build lasting legacies into their brands.

Maya Angelou famously said, “people will remember not what you said but how you made them feel.” We’ve said the same applies to brands and today; that is something we believe in now more than ever. Remember, loyalty starts with brands showing loyalty to customers and employees, not the other way around. The opportunity has never been clearer or needed than now.

At a minimum, saying “thank you” to customers has new meaning and tactically, that’s something every smart brand should be doing now, differently than before, and in the context of what we’re all going through. At the same time, imagine prospective employees asking you how the company treated its employees during the COVID-19 crisis.

What have you seen brands do that make you feel good about them? Below are a few examples that resonated with us. Let’s all be inspired, focused and hard at work, ready to recover.

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