These are not normal times

The first of many hard decisions at Teleport

Dear #TeamTeleport,

I was initially planning to update on the great progress we’ve been making across the business, but the reality is, in a matter of days and weeks, things have shifted in extraordinarily fundamental ways.

When I wrote at the start of the year that 2020 was a year to make our mark, I certainly wasn’t thinking about the impact that COVID-19 would have. By now everyone is glued to the media updates, the forwarded WhatsApp messages (many of which are rumors at best), and daily leaks of internal company memos related to COVID-19. No one needs to hear yet another opinion but all I will say is, as a logistics startup within an airline, we are at the frontline of how both businesses and consumers are reacting across the region. We get a small glimpse of the future slightly ahead of everyone else.

These are no longer normal times.

For many (younger) members of #TeamTeleport, this will be the first major economic downturn of our working lives and is a major test of our resilience, creativity and leadership under stress. It’s going to be a rough ride. That said, all crises provide a unique opportunity for many of us to step up and be counted.

Here’s how I am responding:

• Decisiveness matters: organizations and people take time to mobilize. The bigger the organization, the slower it can take for any sort of alignment across it. There will always be lots of opinions, some more informed than others, but in times like these making quick and practical decisions is the difference between staying ahead of the situation and protecting the health of the organization versus scrambling to keep up. So, decisions depend on changing circumstances. Painful decisions will be taken sooner rather than later. Decisions that could take weeks to deliberate, will have to be made in days.
• Prioritize what can be controlled: we are building for the future and focusing on what matters now is critical. Two things matter to any business in good times and bad — talent and cashflow. I will focus on how to minimize impact on the overall team, and how to ensure the business remains cash-flow profitable, whatever the situation.
• Communicate everything we are doing, and why: uncertainty creates fear, and no one can do their best work in an environment of uncertainty, fear and worry. False hope, promises and avoiding discussing bad news do not make the situation better. Instead, I believe in honesty. I believe in avoiding surprises. I also believe in explaining why we choose to do what we do. Communication should always be done first-hand, with openness. Communication also means listening as actively. I will do both.

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Here is the first of many hard decisions to come.

Alongside AirAsia’s leaders, I, and the highest earners across #TeamTeleport are taking a salary reduction effective this March onward, and for the foreseeable future. We need to do this as a matter of principle — to lead by example, and to ensure we can minimize the impact to the rest of the team and the future of Teleport. I want to avoid glorifying this issue — it’s painful and anybody saying otherwise is lying. But it’s also what is right at this time, and I can only thank those who have been spoken to for accepting it.

Team before self, always.

Pete