Move Forward With a Customer-Driven Mindset

The article originally appeared in Fleet Management Weekly.

Well here we are.

It’s five months into the COVID-19 pandemic. And for many of us, we’re working from home and learning new technologies—and using fun backgrounds—to improve our virtual meetings skills. We’re all balancing supporting our customers while adjusting to new routines, such as preparing to balance more remote learning for our kids.

During any period of crisis and stress, our programmed response is flight or fight. I also think of it as “freeze in place” or “move forward.” For this conversation, I would like to talk about moving forward, while keeping the customer driven mindset you’ve cultivated at the forefront.     

Let’s go back in time to set the stage a bit. 

Do you remember your to-do list in January? How about your personal and professional goals for 2020? I assume that many of those goals have changed, as our world has changed. I know mine certainly have. Not so much in the items I wanted to accomplish, such as my annual recommitment to improve my health and fitness. But rather my priorities and the time I have to execute my goals.  

With the lack of business travel and social gatherings, I have more time to quiet my mind and think more deeply about my next steps. I have two options: I can freeze and find myself in the same place in January 2021, or I can move forward and take this time to improve myself, and by doing so, the value I bring to others. Remember my article Customer Service Starts With You about the oxygen mask on the plane? Take care of yourself first so you can be of service to others. Now is our time to do just that. 

The kick I needed to move forward came from an interesting fact I read about Sir Isaac Newton inventing calculus during the Great Plague in 1665. As Newton isolated himself to protect against the plague engulfing England, he let his already established passion and brilliance flourish. From my perspective, he took advantage of the required isolation to move forward. 

hat road do you want to pave? Have you incorporated new patterns in your life that will help you come out of this stronger and smarter than you were in January? Once you take this time to think about your own learning path, you will be able to apply it to your clients’ new challenges and be more focused and prepared to ensure their positive results in their new future! 

Best of luck creating your path forward and staying customer driven.