THE NEXT DAY: A Project about Leadership and EQ skills development for retailers during the era of COVID-19.
Uncertainty, panic, misinformation, doubt. Establishments and organizations are shutting down and reopening, new measures are constantly being announced. Distances are increasing both physically and mentally. Hope always comes with precaution and optimism can’t exist without the uncertainty of tomorrow. This is the current situation during the year of 2020 where the consequences of COVID-19 radically change everything. We live in an era of mixed emotions and opinions, as well as imbalance at every aspect of life, where doctors worked 24/7 while shop owners lost an immense percentage of their revenue. Teachers and students had to familiarize themselves with online tutoring platforms and the average person had to learn how to use credit cards and do online transactions. The changes are so many that you cannot decide where to focus first.
This is an issue that our team also dealt with in the context of our subject called “Leadership and Emotional Intelligence Lab” powered by Panteion University’s Ad&Pr Lab. The project that we had to undertake was the production and distribution of useful content regarding leadership and EQ skills in order to inform, empower and overall contribute to a positive confrontation of this difficult time. Therefore what we had to do was to develop future leaders. However, which group of people would we choose? Who was in the most need of developing leadership skills? In a period in which literally every sector is facing a crisis, trying to find an answer to all these questions is more than challenging. Elders and youth, professors and students, clerks and customers, are all up against an unprecedented and tough situation. So, to who were we going to address and in what means? But first things first. Let’s take it from the beginning.
THE IDEA
Following the developments after the outbreak of COVID-19 in our country, we realized, and as a natural consequence, that the effects of the lock will be huge on the economy. And especially in the business sector, as with the announcement of the lock, companies have been forced to close their stores without knowing when they will return. As a team, we focused and wanted to mention the case of small and medium-sized businesses as this portion of entrepreneurs seems to have been irreparably hurt since the lockdown began. Many entrepreneurs have been caught unawares in this crisis as they have not changed or upgraded their strategic / business plan or online presence to continue to serve their customers online. All this points to the psychological shift of micro-entrepreneurs. We also found that each member of the group had one or more individuals in the family, friendly or even wider circle, who was the owner of a small and medium business. We felt, therefore, more strongly the need on the one hand to strengthen and enliven small businesses and on the other hand to propose proposals for redefining small and medium-sized enterprises. Through this process, we aim for businesses to rebuild and emerge stronger.
COVID-19 continues to have an impact and will continue to have a catalytic effect on business operations and employment relationships. That’s why we decided that the title of our project will be “The Next Day” and as a representative hashtag we will have #letsrestart in order to show small and medium enterprises that there is hope for the next day and that they can make a “restart” in the company. them and start their operation smoothly again.
LEADERSHIP & EQ SKILLS
In modern reality, where stores and therefore small businesses have been hit hard by the effects of the pandemic, empowering them both practically and psychologically is a major issue. Therefore, the main goal is to strengthen their adaptability and commitment to the goal, which is none other than to emerge victorious from the current crisis. To make this possible, however, they must be able to manage reality emotionally in order to cope with it. After all, as Emily Pine and Tony Schwartz quote in the Harvard Business Review, “We are dealing with two contagions — the virus itself and the emotions it generates. Negative emotions are every bit as contagious as the virus, and they’re also toxic”. Therefore, through our efforts, we aim to strengthen the optimism of these people, so that they regain their strength and will. We want them to realize that where everything seems to be destroyed, are hidden the greatest opportunities. This is the best time for them to evolve and thrive.
METHOD & CONDUCTION OF THE RESEARCH
In order to get a better understanding of the experiences and thoughts of the mentioned target group, we utilized the qualitative method which rests on a small number of participants and on the analysis of speech. The data collected through the qualitative research describe issues and concepts that concern the target group and were a result of interviews based on an interview guide designed for retailers in Greece.
The interviews involved 8 questions which would trigger answers with a clear presence of the feelings, experiences and aspirations of the participants on the changes in their businesses that derived from the emergence of COVID-19.
The participants were 10 retailers whose businesses experienced a lockdown with apparent implications on their financial state. The sample consisted of 7 women and 3 men which shoe stores, hairdressing salons, beauty salons, eyewear stores, florists and seasonal stores. The participants were asked the following 8 questions:
- What is the psychological state of your return to work?
2. What do you expect from the next day?
3. What is your biggest fear / anxiety for the next day?
4. What is the most prevalent feeling you have?
5. What percentage of your business turnover has been affected by the lockdown?
6. To what extent do you think there will be a long-term or short-term recovery?
7. How can you take advantage of this situation to your advantage?
8. What medium do you consult to get advice for your business? (e.g.
television, radio, newspapers, articles, Internet, social media, top people etc.)
The answers given by the participants were examined and analyzed in aim to draw conclusions which in turn would give the basic coordinates for the ways in which it would be possible for our target group to develop the skills of optimism, adaptability and dedication to the goal.
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS
According to interviews we conducted and based on the qualitative research , we came to some conclusions about the general attitude and emotional state of traders and owners of small and medium enterprises.
We observed that the interviewees were possessed by psychological fluctuations with their emotions varying both positively and negatively. One of the things that impressed us was that the positive emotions were unexpectedly greater with calm, responsibility, optimism, gratitude and the power of the soul to dominate.
However, there was a common denominator that embraced all respondents. And that, of course, was the stress. Anxiety about the future. This particular feeling causes insecurity, uncertainty and fear, emotions that concern both the occurrence of a subsequent economic crisis and the effects it will have such as unemployment or lack of customers but also the possibility of a re-emergence of the pandemic and the imposition of a new lockdown.
The only sure thing is the impatience to return to normal flow and of course the readiness to face new challenges. Adaptability and optimism are two skills that have been largely observed in interviewees while at the same time being considered necessary for survival in these difficult times.
Regarding the financial field, more than half of the participants claimed that the drop in their turnover ranges from 20–30% while the minority of them answered that the drop in their turnover exceeds 50%, reaching up to 80%.
With absolute unanimity, the participants argued that growth would be a long-term thing that worries them about the situation but at the same time gives them the strength to keep trying to get back to normalcy.
Finally, in our last question, the respondents answered that they are trying to get valid advice in order to form their opinion and get advice for their business as well as they are trying to avoid the sources of “fake news”. According to the majority, experts in the field of economics have their place of honor, followed by newspapers and all kinds of online sources.
SOCIAL MEDIA & INSERT
Our next step was to create an infographic in which to list the results of our qualitative research in a more interactive way, so that we can present our conclusions in a more practical way and be better understood by our audience.
Related to business redefinition the most significant solution we had to propose is the ‘social media reversal’ and web in general.
First of all, for users not familiar to technology we suggest some online lecture attendance via Google Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Certificate. Each small business owner is able to attend free of charge classes and seminars between a variety of online platforms for more efficient sales, getting a certification and the knowledge for expansion of the business online.
In addition, social media presence, especially Instagram and Facebook is also important depending on clients. However, because of the high competition, every business must have some strategies. In order to use the best tools, we provide some tips for extension and better promotion. We also provide the opportunity to attend seminars, helping them keep the public up to date and using the social media tools correctly.
Because we have clients in every age, we have created an insert separated in 3 units. The first is about ‘ Emotional management in the time of covid-19’, because positive thoughts and communication helps into the right challenge management. In the second, there are some interviews from small business owners about the right confront of this crisis. Concluding, in the third there is a business plan, the client experience and more tips about surviving through this situation.
Click here to view the Insert.
And that was our overall experience with the leadership and EQ skills development during the time of COVID-19. Through this process we gained something more than a broader knowledge of the specific subject.
We talked with people who are authentic and who shared their expectations and concerns about the future with us, but more than anything else they expressed their love for their work. We talked with people who managed to preserve their hopefulness, their values and their will to start over. We listened to them, we empathized with them and we ended up admiring them.
We hope that the content we created will be a useful tool for what is yet to come during their new battle for restarting. And we are certain that sooner or later they will make it through.
Because “The Next Day” has arrived for all the retailers and above anything else it has spirit.
Special thanks to our professor Dimitra Iordanoglou for the help in this project!
Our team The Challengers
Eugenia Skouteri Violetta Ioanna Makri Georgia Staikou Christina Bolanou Evelina Karatziou Kyriaki Kyriakoggona
