We’re in uncharted waters. And it’s really foggy out here.

Military people speak about the fog of war – the confusion and chaos that occurs once the bullets start flying. All of our careful strategic planning gets a total kick in the face when the fighting begins.

The coronavirus chaos has just kicked many of our businesses in the face. Businesses everywhere – large and small – are cutting back, delaying, scrambling, pivoting. Cash flow is grinding to a halt. We don’t know what the future will hold – and the future is anything beyond, say, tomorrow morning.

We’re in the fog of fear.

Our clients are afraid. Our suppliers are afraid. We’re afraid. Long-term planning is out the window. Short-term survival is the order of the day.

My clarity consulting business has always been about the long-term. Let’s figure out the company identity, strategy, offerings, and message – for the long haul. But how many people want to invest thousands of dollars in that now??

The answer is probably somewhere between zero and -1. Which means that I need to pivot, too. I, and perhaps most of us, need to Innovate Now.

So here’s the big question, for my business and for yours: How can we take who we are, and what we do, and apply it to where our customers are right now?

As for me, since my normal revenue-producing activities are in a holding pattern, I’m going to try something this week I’ve always wanted to do, but which didn’t seem to fit into my long-term strategy. I’m going to try to help fellow business people stuck in the fog of fear gain some short-term clarity. Virtually. For no charge. And without having it all figured out in advance.

My normal clarity process involved a lot of one-on-one interaction – with small group workshops working well also. I’ve always wondered if there was a way to help larger numbers, virtually, using video, templates, and collaborative interaction.

Shall we find out together? 🙂

Here’s what’s coming this week. Feel free to be part of the experiment, and let’s see if we can all gain some fresh business clarity, together.

Monday, March 23:

• Afternoon: Release of on-line video discussion “Networking in a Time of Crisis” – a conversation with Steve Woodruff and Alana Muller (networking master and author, from Kansas City).

Tuesday, March 24:

• Morning: Blog Post/video Innovate Now – why and how to make a short-term pivot?
• Afternoon: Download your FREE copy of my new worksheet: Finding Clarity in A Time of Crisis – a guide you can start using right now to re-direct your business approach.
• Evening (8 pm ET): Twitter #LeadershipChat co-hosted with my friend Lisa Petrilli. Theme – How Do We Lead Through the Fog of Fear? On-line 1 hour chat on the Twitter platform. Lisa and I used to co-host the Twitter #LeadershipChat community 8-9 years ago – this is a good time to bring it back for a timely discussion!

Wednesday, March 25:

• Morning: Blog Post/video Breaking Through the Noise of CoronaChaos – how do we face the challenge of speaking into the fog?
• Evening (8 pm ET) – Facebook Live discussion of the above

Thursday, March 26:

• Morning: Blog Post/video/- Pivoting and Re-packaging for the current crisis – how do we change what we offer to meet immediate needs?

Friday, March 27:

• Morning: Blog Post/video- Activating Referrals and Advocates – how can we tap into our existing network in order to find new opportunities?

Saturday, March 28:

• We’ll figure out together what else we need.

I’ve written about many of these themes in my book Clarity Wins, but my goal this week is to re-package and adapt those ideas for the current global situation. And yes, I’m making it up as I go along, seeking fresh clarity just as you are. So – let’s make some pro-active progress together this week, even in the fogbank!