Today the UK has been on lockdown for a year… it feels like longer to me, possibly as we closed the Oh So Social office two weeks earlier than this date.
Early in March 2020 I closed my office, wishing everyone a great pandemic and saying I would see them all in a month… I didn’t think it could possibly last longer than a few weeks.
I believe in the last year we have been in the office as a full team for about a month.
As the 23rd March 2020 rolled around I could see it coming: we were losing clients, people paused contracts, people were scared, businesses were scared, you could almost feel the fear in the air.
I didn’t know how to handle this. I have studied business since I was 14, I have a first class business degree, I have worked with some of the biggest business support agencies in the UK and I was stumped. No one had ever told me how to handle a global pandemic. It wasn’t a module anywhere in my degree. Let’s be honest, until it happened, it had never crossed my mind.
As lockdown was announced I rallied my team; I told everyone we would be “business as usual” and lead with our value stance that we are here to help.
By lunchtime I had spoken to every client, I had lost a scary number of clients, but, in spite of this, I told the team we would carry on. No one would be furloughed; we would keep working even if we had no clients.
And that’s what we did. We kept going. We pivoted with clients, we supported them moving online, we gained new clients, we flexied, we stuck together, we did our usual thing. We did social media management, and social media marketing finally proved its real value, even to the most cynical business owners. Both myself and my company grew along with it.
I learnt valuable life and business lessons.
I learnt that not only leading by example but leading with vulnerability kept my team together, we supported each other. We become a virtual family, which just happened to share a common job.
I learnt that making the tough decisions for the greater good is terrible, but sometimes the only option.
I learnt that standing up and taking the lead, even when you’re terrified is sometimes the only thing you can do.
I learnt that remembering your reason why and the value you really offer to your customers will never fade, regardless of the challenges you may face.
I learnt how to have the different conversations and how to bring a team together. I learnt how to really support people, both employees and clients.
There were days when getting out of bed was a challenge…but I did it, every day…some days while stopping to have a cry on the stairs, but I still made it online.
But despite all of this, I didn’t hate the last year.
Somehow in all of the chaos and madness, I fell back in love with my job. Well, actually, I fell in love with being a Director; something that until last year, I had always been a little resentful of.
2020 wasn’t as terrible for me as it was for some, in fact, I would go as far to say I had a great year.
Now, please don’t get me wrong. The year was terrible, it was brutal, heart breaking, lonely, tough, with long isolated hours at home, mostly on a laptop as I tried to keep myself and my team going, but despite all of this, I really loved last year.
I healed. I found balance. I gave myself a break. I did things a little slower. I finally felt like I become a leader. I found my groove. I gained understanding. I discovered how truly resilient I am. I learnt the tough lessons that no one will ever care as much about your business as you do. And most importantly, I learnt how to lead.