ASK ROGER Leading through crisis

Roger Grochmal is the CEO of AtlasCare in Oakville, Ont. To submit a question about your company, business practices, or the industry in general, send an email to Mechanical Business Magazine’s editor, Adam Freill, adam.freill@ mechanicalbusiness.com.

Challenges and opportunities

I did not expect to face the most significant leadership crisis of my career at the 45-year mark. I’ve led through recessions, SARS, personal tragedies, and plenty more. Nothing has compared to the challenges – and opportunities – presented by the COVID pandemic, however. And I admire everyone in our industry who is struggling through it.

Leading through crisis

Over the course of my career, I’ve learned that crisis is all about leadership. We need to act swiftly and decisively. The ability to do so is one of the advantages inherent in a small business, but we must be ready to make use of this advantage. To find success, we need to be action oriented, and we need to define how we will get through the crisis.

That doesn’t mean you need all of the answers. You will make mistakes, and that’s okay since it is usually a bigger mistake not to act.

TAKING THE LEAD In times of uncertainty, leaders need to be visible and present. In the case of a private business, owners have to get out front with the troops every single day. Your staff will take their cues from you.

I’ve been proud of my son Michael, AtlasCare’s president, for his presence through this. He has regularly recorded heartfelt videos for our staff team and our customers. He shifted our advertising to simple, meaningful and truthful messages from him. No glitz or glamour, just presence. That’s a good sign of a strong leader.

But leadership isn’t all about the person at the top. People respond differently under stress and leaders will appear in your company where you sometimes least expect it. Some people will delight you. They will step up, take on extra responsibility and encourage others to do the same. Celebrate them and lean into their abilities. Other people may disappoint you or appoint you or look for excuses not to step up. o step up. I’ve learned to be empathetic pathetic but clear in my expectations ations of them.

I have also been reminded through this experience that the steps we have taken en in the days, weeks and years leading to this point in time – as a matter of atter of running a good business ess – have really paid off. These are the things you do every day that set the stage for you to weather a storm.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 situation has taught us new strategies and introduced new tools that we will implement to make our business even more resilient in the future.

My next column will focus on these things, and I welcome all readers to reach out to me directly to share what you have learned through this, so that we can help set each other up for success down the road.

Survival mode for business

In a crisis, we need to hope for the best and plan for the worst. Here are 10 steps that are essential to take right away when the unexpected becomes real:

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Preserve cash. Collect every receivable quickly.

Use up as much of your inventory as you possibly can. Inventory is dead money.

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Negotiate with every supplier for reductions or payment deferrals.

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Cut every cost that you can. And then cut again. Except...

Continue marketing. Look for ways to better target your our existing marketing programs s based on needs during the crisis. crisis. If you don’t have a marketing program and plan, a crisis is a good time to fix that.

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Do NOT cut prices or take work just to keep folks busy. Revenue won’t save your business, proper margins will.

Take advantage of government programs.

Look after your people. They will reward you with their loyalty. loyalty.

9Communicate, communicate, communicate. You cannot overcommunicate: daily with staff and weekly with d customers. Form a response team cust and meet daily for as long as it takes. and meet daily for as long as it take

10 Give yourself a break. The stress is unbearable at times, especially when dealing with the extreme uncertainty Give yourself a break. The especially when dealing wi that we, as leaders, face every day, including the expectations that we, as leaders, face every day, everyone will place on us. Use your leisure time well. everyone will place on us. Use your