It’s a challenge to lead even the very best employees in a crisis. But if you have chosen your people well, you will also be inspired by them during the toughest of times.
The Collins English Dictionary defines a crisis as ‘a situation in which something or someone is affected by one or more serious problems.’ Or as Steve Jobs put it, ‘Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.’
Creating a Covid-ready strategy
With COVID-19 and the financial downturn, the bricks are falling thick and fast, and the resultant blows to the head can make evolving your strategy to fit a challenge. However, calm thought processes that lead to the right decisions are vital not just to survive but also to take advantage of the situation and thrive.
Revolutionising car maintenance
At Fixter, when we set out to revolutionise the car maintenance industry, we never expected the road ahead to be smooth. But we prepared well. We have developed cutting-edge digital technologies and assembled the best possible team – highly motivated people passionate about solving whatever challenges came our way.
Our business provides customers with the first end-to-end car maintenance service, giving them a convenient, hassle-free experience that takes the worry out of keeping their vehicles on the road. We have also introduced a physical contact free collection service to provide peace of mind.
It is not just cars that need looking after if they are to run smoothly – people do too.
Despite their best efforts, everyone is experiencing some level of stress, distraction and worry at the moment. Good leadership is crucial to calm employees and give them the mental boost they need to succeed against the odds.
Yet leaders need to look after themselves too if they are to be inspiring. Taking care of the body, and the mind, with the right food and proper sleep, has never been more critical.
Providing the right support to create unity
Leaders need to be there for their people, and that’s hard right now when we still are spending less time physically together than before.
It’s a challenge to work from home or remotely and stay connected. Even though lockdown is starting to relax, it is likely in our case – and many others I am sure – that ‘the office’ will be used less than pre-COVID for a while at least. That’s why, at Fixter, we still have integrated daily stand-ups and use several online platforms and mental health polls to ensure that nobody is left behind.
A diverse team is a strong team. When it comes to looking after that team, it is essential not to try and implement a ‘one-size-fits-all’ policy. What may worry one colleague may not bother another. We are all human beings, and we are all different.
Building a happy workforce
At Fixter, I worked hard to surround myself with a team of people motivated to make a difference, who put 100 per cent into their work and share my mindset and values.
From day one, the attitude of those people, their sheer determination to deliver, gave me confidence in the future. This has been brought to life by how hard they are working to bring back colleagues who are furloughed.
Today, in these uncertain times we are still fighting, but my team fills me with that faith. And when the bricks keep falling, belief is a very precious commodity.
About Fixter
Fixter is revolutionising the car maintenance industry, one repair at a time. Fixter was founded to make car maintenance as easy as booking a taxi. Digital, transparent and stress-free, with world-class customer service. Since launching in Manchester in 2017, Fixter has expanded to more than 100 cities across the UK and provided thousands of car owners with honest, convenient and affordable car repair services.