On March 12, 2020, just a few days before social distancing became the norm in Florida I attended a ground breaking ceremony for a wonderful new regional park, Bonnett Springs Park, in Lakeland, Florida. Two of the guest speakers were Wesley and Nick Barnett, the grandsons of George Jenkins, founder of Publix supermarkets. The Barnett family is a generous and very significant benefactor in our community. Nick Barnett quoted his grandfather when he said Mr. George had a plaque on his desk that said, “Just begin, the rest is easy”.
As I sat and listened to the rest of the presentations and speeches that morning, I thought, what prophetic words for anyone or any organization to adopt. Often we get paralysis from analysis. Overthinking. Sometimes when you are stuck or your organization is looking for an inspiration, you just need to begin. And figure the rest out along the way.
Sound easy? Not really. But it is a path forward. As we slowly emerge from the quarantine that is known as Covid-19, we just have to begin the recovery. Do a deep clean on your physical plant, make sure your employees and staff are healthy and ready to return to work, and just open back up.
Well, it’s not quite that easy, but that is the first step. There will be hundreds of decisions that will have to be made. Work at home, come to the office? How to make sure your staff is safe and comfortable in their surroundings. Protecting our customers and clients. And many more protocols to successfully relaunch your company.
Some of you may take the time to rebrand, some to expand, some to contract and some just to survive. But no matter your and your company’s situation, you must lead through these tumultuous times. Be flexible, be innovative, be patient, be resourceful, be passionate, be mindful, be strong. But just begin, the rest will follow. Thank you Mr. George, for such wonderful advice during these uncertain times.
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