Suhail Algosaibi’s Random Rants on Business, Life and Everything in between [July 2020]
Hello my friend,
Well, who would have thought that the COVID-19 crisis would last this long? Personally, I thought it would be over in a few short weeks. Here we are, in the second half of July and it’s still not officially over. Some countries have opened up or are starting to open up, but then there is talk about a post-summer resurgence.
I can’t help asking myself if destroying the world economy, causing countless businesses large and small to file for bankruptcy, and for many hundreds of thousands of people to lose their jobs, was worth it. All this self-inflicted damage for a pandemic that has a 0.7 to 3.4% fatality rate?
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t belittle the danger of the virus, but at the same time I can’t help but wonder if there wasn’t a better way to handle this? Was the world economic destruction really worth it? I heard in the news that more people will die of starvation due to the economic measures of dealing with the virus than the actual virus itself. According to the New York Times, the situation could double the number of people facing acute hunger to 265 million by the end of this year. The question for me is, was it worth it? I honestly don’t have the answer...
Anyway, if you’re business has been affected by the Coronavirus situation then I’m sure we can help. Check out our Pandemic Response Service Package here. We’ll work hard to help you get out of this situation, and we’ll be as flexible as possible when it comes to the payment terms. We know how tough things are for you, and want to help.
That special network for unreasonable thinkers
I’m busy working on a personal passion project called the Unreasonable Thinking Network (UTN). UTN is a community where entrepreneurs, innovators and change makers can connect, learn and thrive. Our purpose is to help our members unleash their full potential so they can make a positive impact on the world.
If this is of interest, then mosey on over to https://unreasonablethinkingnetwork.com and sign up for the exclusive pre-launch email list. As a special thank you, you’ll get access to a FREE exclusive webinar entitled "Innovation In Uncertain Times; The 10 Principles of Innovation".
Speaking of innovation, remember where it starts!
Remember, innovation is not about technology or about the latest buzzwords like Fintech, AI, Big Data or the latest one; EdTech. Innovation is primarily a mindset. It’s the ability to take risks, abandon the old way of doing thigs and being risk tolerant.
Moreover, to be innovative, you need to have an innovative culture. Team members need to feel that they can suggest ideas without fear of ridicule or reprimand. There needs to be a high-risk tolerance for failure and minimal company politics. Moreover, team members need to be allowed to experiment and tinker. I don’t think you can separate an innovative culture from employee empowerment.
Only if you have an innovative culture can you start innovating, and innovation starts with empathy. Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
You need to develop empathy with your user, client or customer. As my friend and 2017 Falak Unreasonable Thinking Summit speaker Prof. Dave Robertson says in The Power of Little Ideas, “You cannot understand your customer’s needs for your product without understanding that customer’s world, and how and where your product fits into it”.
Spend time getting to know your customer. See him or her in action. Conduct interviews and surveys. Once you understand your customer better then you can start thinking of providing new solutions (innovations) to them.
Make sure you allow your team to make suggestions and think freely. You’ll be amazed by how innovative things will start getting.
If you need help with any of that, do get in touch.
Well my friend, that’s all I have for you right now.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and talk soon.