The COVID-19 pandemic brought on never-before-faced challenges to business, but some business leaders believe the rapid changes it encouraged professionally were inevitable.
“I think COVID wasn’t just a change. I think COVID accelerated the future,” says Mark Sanborn, the President of Sanborn & Associates, Inc., an idea studio dedicated to developing leaders in business and life. In addition to his extensive research on the future of work, Sanborn is a best-selling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and Leadership Expert in Residence at High Point University.
On this week’s episode of the Start With a Win podcast, Sanborn joins RE/MAX Holdings CEO Adam Contos for a candid conversation on the impacts COVID-19 has had on businesses, and how the best leaders have been able to adapt.
According to Sanborn’s research, 50% of Americans have become more anxious about their future. That’s why the most successful businesses have fine-tuned their services and messaging to meet the needs of the consumer, which is reducing anxiety in their respective industries. He also discovered, however, that the anxiety people are feeling isn’t always negative. Rather, people are experiencing a phenomenon he calls “anxious optimism.”
“[We need] to ask ourselves, ‘What can I do to show genuine concern for others?’ I think that’s an important trust factor because anytime a team member or [customer] feels it’s transactional or not relational, it diminishes the level of trust,” he says.
Sanborn wants business leaders to know that agility and experimentation trump planning and process. He believes that being flexible, adaptable and willing to step outside a comfort level in order to grow will help businesses thrive post-COVID.
He also debunks the myth that during tough times – like the onset of COVID-19 – the best strategy for businesses is to over-communicate.
“What we need to do is make sure that what we’re communicating is timely and powerful, not frequent and insignificant,” Sanborn says.
Tune in to this week’s podcast episode to hear more of Sanborn’s insight on the future of business – and what steps leaders can take today to adapt and thrive going forward in the modern business environment.
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Written by RE/MAX News
