Did 2020 Start Well?
Perspectives on Current 'Crises'
Craig J Selby | Farrell Tan | Michelle Nunis
Recent political events put added pressure
on an already stretched socio-economic landscape. Concerns over the untamed COVID
virus and its potential short and long term impact here have been accelerated
for some societal stakeholders by Malaysia’s very current and very real
political turmoil. Some call it a crisis, but truth be told, it’s not at that
stage yet – its just a very complicated set of issues, with some very real
outcomes that could posit problems for businesses, individuals, and Brand
Malaysia as a whole.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Orchan Director Dr Craig J Selby
was interviewed for BFM to give commentary about issues related to change and
crisis in the early 2020 business landscape. What was really great about the
timing of the interview though was that it followed from a detailed lunch
discussion about some of these very issues. The interview responses in effect
were a culmination of not only Craig’s response, but drew from all three of us –
Craig, Farrell, and Michelle, as we continue to explore and refine our own
interpretation of the world changing right in front of us.
As you read the interview below, you’ll get
a sense of not only our collective voice, but our individual takes on the
issues at hand too.
Has there been any impact in
your sector in light of recent events? Any slowdowns? (Fewer people in
stores/malls, impact on supply chain with the rise of USD, cancellation of
events, difficulty in funding/, cancellation of investor meetings, etc)
The early part of 2020 has presented us all
with challenges. For us in the PR industry, as a B2B service, the impact is
different than it has been for our clients per se. Whilst we haven’t experienced
any significant decline in business activity as a result of the two key
disruptors, we constantly find that our counsel is being used to help clients
navigate uncertainty more than usual. Select clients are being impacted, and
they are responding with realigned approaches, improvised and new campaigns,
and rethinking their messaging.
Uncertainty always slows down
decision-making, and this has got to be addressed as a broader part of business
and planning. Curating effective fall-back plans, knowing your core strengths
and ensuring these continue are all important.
Be it politics or other influences to
society, there is always going to be a possibility of change, of significant
impact. What 2020 has reminded us all is to have stronger planning for issues
and crisis, and to be sure that our back up planning is up to date and
effective in various scenarios.
If there is a slowdown, what
steps are you taking to ease these challenges?
The first rule of business is to always
have a contingency plan. Business-as-usual should always assume issues or
changes are looming, and it would be irresponsible not to factor that in to
thinking at any scale or level.
Maintaining an element of innovation, or
agile adaptability will always help. But, all too often, entrepreneurs,
managers, businesses are caught with their pants down.
When businesses fail to respond quickly, or
adopt a wait-and-see approach, this leaves a void – for others to occupy. As
things slow down, even in conditions of uncertainty, it provides an opportunity
to amplify ones message. We’ve seen that in the past two weeks with a client in
the travel sector – as the industry takes a hit from COVID, they’ve taken the
opportunity to shout louder. We encourage clients to be out there in this
context.
As for us as a business, it’s always
business development mode. Opportunity exists even more now in certain sectors
as we advocate this notion.
What are your thoughts as a
business owner in light of the uncertainty in politics? And why is this not
good in the current climate (with COVID-19 still looming)?
The only certainty in life is change. The
political realignments of the past three days may be new to Malaysia, but
similar circumstances have happened overseas, and somewhat often.
As businesses, as society, we learn to
evolve, innovate, adopt, and cope.
It scares consumers for sure, because they may
not see the bigger picture, or they feel a personal grievance against a
political player. It concerns entrepreneurs and decision-makers to some point
too. But, we can never take anything for granted, and changes like these
heighten the need for Plan B and crisis planning. If your business is
significantly impacted by what has happened in the past few days, perhaps there
is a flaw in your business model. Were you relying too much on a certain
consumers, project, or contract? Did you not have a diversity to your approach
to mitigate changes and provide a buffer zone or layer of protection for your
business?
Businesses aligned strongly to government felt
the pinch in 2018. Their world changed overnight. From that lesson should have
come more planning. We don’t live in a vacuum, and we know that political
change is inevitable, even within a government – let alone a fundamental change
of government. To me, it’s planning.
As an entrepreneur, am I concerned? Sure.
But I am not worried or stressed about it. That ‘concern’ drives me to ensure
that what we do within the business can adapt to new situations, potential new
policies, and changes in client base. Business isn’t static – we have to go
with the punches, and pull a few when necessary.
What would you like to see
happen for the betterment of Malaysia and business?
In reality, what happens will happen.
Our control over it as individuals or
businesses is extremely minute. But our control over our reaction to it is
strongly in our favour. As businesses, we need to ensure that we can adapt to
changes quickly, decisively, and as productively as we can to ensure that our
stakeholders interests are protected as best possible.
Personally, I’d like to see two things
happen.
I’d like to see a quick resolution and
movement forward to resolve the current scenario and impasse. I’d like to see
transparency. There is so much “untold story” and “fake news” – transparency as
to processes and future direction will help to avoid panic situations. They won’t
eliminate them, but more informed people can make better informed decisions. It’s
not just about each person; it is about keeping society and economy above water
too. A maturity and openness of communication would go a long way to leveling out
the spikes that may happen.
It doesn’t matter which side of the
political divide one supports, or is in leadership; stability and clarity from
now on will be important. If we can reduce knee-jerk reactions, it will help.
Ultimately we have to consider the country
as a brand; and today, this brand needs clarifying to all stakeholders, here
and overseas. We need to be able to move forward quickly with a clearer path.
In crisis situations like
this, what are some of the best practices for leaders to ensure better
communication?
That’s a challenging question to answer,
because at times like this, things represent a shouting match, rather than a
controlled conversation. In crisis situations, gaining control of your
narrative is the paramount thing to do; but concurrently showing your ‘human
side’ to your audiences – the humanity aspect.
What we see are statements being made as
almost knee-jerk reactionary statements. They are not planned, and the level of
clarity is confusing. Add to the mix social media, accelerating the
reachability, both in terms of numbers and speed, of the message; often leaving
people confused as to actual timelines and a holistic understanding of the
situation.
Better communication can be as simple as
provision of information. Leaving people guessing is a strategy, but is it the
strategy that’s best for broader stakeholders?
Providing speculation, rather than fact,
detracts from overall message too. As various players second-guess each other,
publicly comment on it; that enhances confusion. It also showcases something
that is contrary to principled democracy; the politician before the people. In
an ideal situation, it would always be “people first” and the messages used should
reinforce not only that, but the fact that there is light at the end of the
tunnel.
At the moment, I’m seeing smoke, not light.
Transparency has been an
issue for many years. Why has it been difficult to be transparent during
crisis?
Let’s be honest, the issue of lack of
transparency is not exclusively owned by the political arena. Brands often fail
in this too during a crisis. Lack of training, being blindfolded by even the
possibility that the crisis arose, or shear indifference to the broader picture
all clouds transparency, and can only be resolved well through prior planning.
Transparency escapes many of us because we
forget our purpose. In all things, its essential that we go back to the purpose,
instead of either putting a band aid over the issues or sweeping them under the
carpet; we need to be conscious of addressing them from the angle of why it is
important to the end receiver.
How do leaders/brands improve
their public perception when many feel trust has been betrayed?
Never an easy task, but not an impossible
one. Swaying opinion comes through sincerity and action, so it is indeed an
achievable action.
But most importantly, make a choice!
We cannot please everyone so make a choice
on who your end receiver is.
Clearly understand the challenge they are
facing, and endeavour to provide a viable and sincere solution to that
challenge.
There will always be haters, so having
belief in your narrative and being consistent about it is critical. Trust comes
from consistency is message and delivery.
__________
For those of you keen to listen to the entire programme and the perspectives presented, check out the podcasts:
https://www.bfm.my/podcast/enterprise/enterprise-biz-bytes/ent-bb-impact-uncertainty-business
https://www.bfm.my/podcast/enterprise/enterprise-biz-bytes/ent-bb-managing-crisis-change-communication
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