(This guest blog was written by Dr. Sharon Lamm-Hartman, CEO and founder of Inside-Out Learning)
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Authority Magazine about how to rebuild in the post-COVID economy.
We touched on some of the growth opportunities that may arise once the economy begins to right itself. I suggested that we could anticipate decreasing the expense of office space. Many of our clients are seeing that remote work is possible, and I feel it is here to stay. Yes, some clients have to return to an office, but those that don’t are not.
Also, virtual and digital offerings are available that were never thought were possible. Who knew that we could do large conferences virtually or three-day training programs virtually? I would have never thought they would be as effective, but many of them are. We are experts at helping our virtual meetings and programs be interactive and engaging. Inside Out Learning has always been a remote workplace. Our employees and consultants are spread throughout the world, we will continue to operate in this way. We don’t need a big expensive commercial real estate space to effectively operate.
I also feel we will see an increase in the desire to be face to face because people have been craving this for over a year. Some of our clients have said as soon as it is safe to be face-to-face, we want an in-person training program or leadership team off-site. Our in-person programs provide an opportunity for co-workers to finally get together and see one another face to face when it is safe to do so. We just had our first face-to-face off-site with a new client in LA. It was a huge success, and everyone said how great it was to finally see one another again. Now we have offerings that are not dependent on meeting face to face and also have our in-person offerings. This allows us to scale our business to the masses of professionals and leaders who exist worldwide.
I encourage everyone to ensure they can meet effectively virtually. We have a free offering called The Remote Remedy that helps you set up a virtual work environment and get more engagement from your virtual meetings. I encourage everyone to watch it, as there are many ways to be more effective working virtually.
Overall, I believe COVID may permanently change not only business, but the way we behave, act and live. More remote and virtual work will be acceptable allowing for global participationwithout the expense of travel. There will be less demand for commercial real estate in businesses that can and are operating virtually. And we will have a greater appreciation for things we once took for granted like being able to gather as a family, go to a sporting event or concert and eat inside a restaurant
We never know when the next pandemic may hit or whether COVID really is under control. It appears to be in the US right now, but many global countries are experiencing severe COVID mutations. We must be prepared as business owners and leaders to still operate our businesses virtually if necessary. For those businesses like manufacturing, they must find a way of staying safe while producing their products. We are now better prepared for what the future may bring.
If you want to read the interview, you can access it here, and I suggest checking out The Recovery Remedy, which lays out key leadership tools you must use to successfully return from a crisis.
All the best,
Dr. Sharon Lamm-Hartman
CEO and founder of Inside-Out Learning
