Originally posted on Mike Goodrich’s LinkedIn page
First and foremost, we hope you are personally safe and secure. We’re living in extraordinary times, and we pray that the humanitarian cost is much lower than the dire predictions for this outbreak.
Second, this post does not have the answers, because we do not have the answers. We don’t know how long this outbreak is going to last, we don’t know how it will affect day-to-day operations, and we don’t know how this will change what normal is for the next two weeks, three months, or even twelve months. We will leave that to the doctors, public health officials, and other professionals to whom we are much indebted to for their leadership and bravery.
What we do know is that when we get through this — and we will — the world is going to be dramatically altered economically.
Again, we aren’t sure of all the answers, but we are beginning to have some thoughts on the new economic reality to come. We do not yet know the implications, but it is safe to assume it will be different. In that vein, I’ve cited Ben Horowitz’s Peacetime CEO/Wartime CEO metaphor more times than I care to say. You can find it in his book, The Hard Thing about Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers and online at Forbes magazine. We expect that everyone’s going to have to shift to wartime CEO to some extent. It’s impossible to say for how long, but a mentality shift is definitely coming. Just some food for thought.
During this in-between time, we welcome the opportunity to talk with you. Frankly, talking things through with others helps me process my own thoughts about our current circumstances. If you’re interested in a call, just let me know. If you have thoughts you’d like to share, let me know. If you’re interested in connecting with others in similar situations, let me know and I’ll help to the extent that I can help.