Entrepreneurial skills that have emerged in the Pandemic: Nanni Singh, Chief Executive, ShowCase Events
Nothing has shaken up people’s comfort zone more than the last 7 months of this year alone and normalcy, as we know it, is nowhere in sight.
The COVID-19 Pandemic is a huge stressor- shaking up our psyche and triggering fears and uncertainties. Its occurrence has impelled us to reassess our business strategies. The potential for survival and sustainability has become a matter of concern for most business leaders and entrepreneurs, irrespective of the industry. However, we have got to make the best of it. As the good old SWOT analysis tells us, there may be threats but there are also opportunities.
The pandemic seems to have made us more appreciative of all simple things, what we have and what we really don't need. It has taught us to be better organized and de-clutter often. And we have noticed a few trends have come into the limelight. Working from home or remote working is one which has gained immense popularity among entrepreneurs and businessmen. It has its own limitations, but has largely proved the fact that it is possible.
Other trends that are hallmarks of the new paradigm, include the leveraging of emerging technology, virtual business meetings, and creating new content for customer engagement. Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp, Hangout, Teams, WebEx and many others have become the connecting platforms and are pretty much house-hold names. Further, we have learnt the optimal use of digital technology, online networks and social media enabled platforms.
Along with this, has been the emergence of a new conscience and new skill set, a new personality. Adaptability and flexibility have become the base line and Emotional Intelligence, which is the ability to be aware of, express and control our emotions and also be aware of other’s emotions, is extremely high. Crisis has its own way of teaching us positive lessons. This pandemic has clearly popped the bubble of our patterns, routines and life-styles which we thought were unchangeable and nothing can be taken for granted.
This virus scrambled the way we live and work, and created all sorts of new marketplaces. The chain reactions here have been fascinating. A virus keeps us at home, which puts a strain on our broadband internet, which means a new solution comes along, and that new solution enables new technologies we can’t even envision today, and those new technologies give rise to entirely new industries, and on and on we go.
This crisis is simply the shake-up needed to restructure the system, respect the environment, respect other human beings and also redirect the existing knowledge skills. So much learning has taken place in these last seven months, be it technology, or an entirely new line of business, which many have adopted to stay relevant and survive. The hardships of others have compelled some to take on entrepreneurial roles and help develop skills that will enable sustainability. The nature of innovation has become adaptive and improvisation and modification have become necessary for survival.
The virus has shown us that no matter how well-planned and organized we may be, we are not in control. There is only one way to remain relevant in a post-coronavirus reality: commit to a lifetime of learning, improvising and adapting
