Paying It Forward
Leadership
in a Time of Crisis
The Crisis
“Mentorship is absolutely critical, especially in this time of coronavirus. It goes back to the idea of never stopping learning.” IFA Chair and FASTSIGNS® CEO Catherine Monson has taken her leadership roles to a new level during the COVID-19 pandemic which has impacted every business across every industry. From webinars to videos and from early preparation to constant communication and support she has not, for one moment stopped trying to protect her people. She continually supports her franchisees and ensure the franchising community will weather the storm and come out strong and intact. “We have had to address issues from both a practical standpoint and an emotional one,” Mon-
10 The Franchise Woman
by Elizabeth Denham son said. “And the principles of success that I speak about are even more critical right now, especially the one about never stopping learning. While I always knew we would face another recession, I didn’t know it would be due to a worldwide health crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented, so we have had to continue learning and adjusting and pushing forward.” Monson often speaks about what she believes are the Five Common Characteristics of Highly Successful People. Those characteristics are: 1. Positive Mental Attitude 2. Goal-Directed Behavior 3. Self Motivation 4. A Sense of Urgency 5. Never Stopping Learning
Emotional Support When the pandemic began, Monson had a conference call with 500 franchisees to discuss the issues and offer reassurance. Her usual “Connect with Catherine” conference calls with her franchisees took place every eight weeks and have now become weekly calls. She began creating weekly videos for her franchisees to build their skills in focusing on what they can control, perseverance and resilience; she shared those with the IFA, which posted them on their coronavirus site for membership. IFA members responded positively and at the request of the IFA senior team, she has made and distributed videos specifically for the IFA membership discussing courage, self-talk and keeping a positive mental attitude, to name
