By Stephen Chong
Currently, we have a ‘new paradigm’ affecting the way we do business in the world. The Coronavirus is reshaping the way business happens in fashions that have only begun to emerge on a global scale. How we face this challenge will have a profound influence on our future for years to come, said author, speaker and trainer Stephen Chong. Â
Cast your minds back a short number of years to when we used to take our photos to chemists for processing. We had Kodachrome reeled into the rear of our cameras. Now, of course, everything is digital and uploaded to memory sticks and the cloud, continued Stephen Chong.
Many people’s lives were upended by this dramatic and external change, well beyond the scope of affected individuals’ capacity to do anything about it,’ affirmed Stephen Chong. Â
“Yet, as leaders of business and community, how we view this current global challenge will have a profound effect on our businesses and the lives of many.â€Â
“Leaders cannot just sit on their hands and let the forces buffet them from pillar to post. It is essential that they make changes that will cause them to forge ahead. To grow and prosper … Change often brings such opportunity.â€
For me, one solution lies in PERSPECTIVE. It’s a marvelous tool of invention.
Our perspective is the creator of our perception. In other words, how we look at something creates how we see it and therefore determines our experience of it. Â
“If a child looks into a dark room at night with fear, that is how they will see it and that will be the child’s experience of the room. If we view our current circumstances as hard, difficult or unendurable then that will be how we see it and again, that will be our experience.â€
We are, indeed, the creators of our own ‘perspective’, but what is even more problematical, is that we allow others (aka, newspapers, politicians, negative people) to unduly influence or corrupt our own perspective on things.
But, there is a solution … Challenge your perspective before you start DOING! Widen your perspective. Make it bigger, deeper, more profound.
For example:
How am I looking at this situation?
Yes, this is tough, but I’ve been there before. I’m capable …
Let’s see this problem from another direction …
Who can I talk to who will challenge the way I’m looking at things?
How do I deal with the facts NOT the fear?
Or, more specifically:
What is our target audience? Can it be expanded?
What is our target audience’s ‘specific un-met need’? Are we meeting that ‘un-met’ need?
What/Where is our business ‘beachhead’? Can it be expanded?
We’ve got an established client base. Can we get them to come back? Can we get their referrals/recommendations?
How can we help support our clients through this time of challenge?
… and many more.
“Time is short, the water is rising. As a leader, it’s time to challenge your current perspective,†said Stephen Chong.
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 Stephen Chong M.Ed. is a highly sought-after Coach/Trainer, Speaker, and Author. In his coaching work, Stephen focuses on imparting the essential envisioning and goal-setting skills that bring out the best in executives, managers and staff in the modern workplace. Â
He has established a considerable reputation for designing and delivering quality coaching and training programs, evidenced in the many courses he has written, such as: Enhanced leadership skills; Effective communication; Conflict resolution; Living on the edge of your comfort zone; Effective time management, Overcoming the obstacles and many more.
Stephen Chong’s latest book, Bodies of Consequence is now available on Amazon and Kindle.
For more information on Stephen, please visit www.stephenchong.com.au