Pivot Pivot: Part 1
Creativity is essential in leadership because it serves as the bridge across a great divide which was previously uncrossable. Without creative leaders, we would forever be stuck in the place we currently are. Someone once said that “creativity is the ability to detect patterns.” In other words, it is the ability to observe the world and notice things that repeat, like noticing that a certain tone of voice tends to elicit a specific emotional response, or that a discovery in one field of industry could fit a need in another, or that certain sounds played in a particular order tend to evoke contemplation. All of these are examples of creativity.
“Creativity is essential in leadership because it serves as the bridge across a great divide which was previously uncrossable.”
2020 will forever be engrained in our minds as a year of hardship and adversity. Yet while these trying times have been far from optimal, one thing 2020 has done for us is provide us with the opportunity to rise above the storm by drawing upon deeper levels of creative fortitude in order to serve our world. That is, after all, precisely what leaders do. Thankfully we don’t have to look too far to find leaders who have taken 2020’s lemons and turned them into lemon cheesecake (which, by the way, is several levels of epic beyond mere lemonade). Over the next two months I want to share with you two stories of creative pivots that two leaders have made in order to not just survive but thrive in these “unprecedented” times (the only thing more unprecedented is the number of times I’ve heard the word “unprecedented” this year). These stories will both inspire and challenge you to apply creative solutions to your own unique circumstances by learning how to hone your ability to identify and utilize the patterns that exist all around you.
I hope you enjoy this month’s tale of pivot.
SHUTDOWN
“Take a good look around because this is probably the last time we will be in a setting like this for a LONG time.”
When Alice Clark spoke these words on March 11th 2020, her audience nervously chuckled at her seemingly overdramatic statement, unsure of how else to respond. Little did they know that on that very day the World Health Organization would declare COVID-19 a global pandemic. Alice is Bellingham’s Executive Director of Downtown Partnership and she, like many across the world, had just received word that the corona virus had reached a high enough threat level to warrant the largest shutdown our generation has ever seen. This shutdown would lead to one of the worst global recessions since the Great Depression, leaving many businesses in stunned silence. One of those businesses was Veritas Media.
In 2011, Josh Burdick had a dream of starting a film company that could tell the stories of his Bellingham community in a truthful and authentic way. Out of that dream Veritas Media was born, a small but now integral business in the Bellingham community. Over the years Veritas has accrued a reputation as being the place to go for local businesses’ marketing, sales, training, and customer service video needs. So much so that they were nominated by the Bellingham Chamber of Commerce for the 2017 Business of the Year. Over the preceding years, Veritas continued to work and deliver quality services to their clients, the likes of which included oil companies, ministries, solar power companies, and the Bellingham Chamber of Commerce. In the Fall of 2019, following a consistent season of growth, Veritas expanded their portfolio with Bellingham Tonight, their first ever live talk show. The first three pilot episodes were a hit and showed great promise. With sponsors lined up, a beautiful new office and studio in downtown Bellingham, and an exciting amount of momentum ready to propel them into next year, Veritas was dreaming big about 2020. “We were poised to push forward and really make some things happen this year” Burdick said. “Then COVID stripped all that from us.”
Overnight, the business lost $100,000 in contracted work for the year. One week after Alice Clark’s ominous words were spoken, Veritas was forced to furlough all five employees. As many will recall, the future at that time was as clear as mud (and that might not be giving mud enough credit). With no solid understanding of the disease’s potential or how long the shutdown would last, Burdick, like countless other business owners, was forced to wait as he wondered whether or not his business would weather this storm.
Yet thanks to a combination of luck and a few creative strokes, Veritas managed to beat the odds. With the influx of a few small projects in the first few weeks after March 11th, the compnany was able to cauterize the wound and stabilize their revenue for the time being. Thankfully, with the help of the government’s Paycheck Protection Program loan, or PPP, Burdick was able to rehire his entire staff after just four weeks of layoffs. However, the problem of finding substantial work for the team to do still remained.
ROAD BLOCKS
When leaders face roadblocks, there are only three possible outcomes: Destruction, Apathy, or Innovation. Trying to solve the problem the way you’ve always done it (that is with a now outdated and ineffective method) typically results in destroying the very thing you’re trying to protect. Another option is to remain paralyzed by the obstacle. This apathetic response might feel like a good solution at first since it avoids immediate pain but that relief will soon drift away as you’re left on the sinking ships watching others sitting safely in their lifeboats. The only other option left is innovation. This is the place where creative leaders decide to create a solution from the very raw materials they were given (to learn more about this concept, I recommend reading my book Design Before You Design or subscribing to my updates for a free PDF of the chapter where I describe this concept in more detail). Creative leaders are those who, when most see a wall, they see an opportunity to climb higher in order to broaden their perspective. So instead of resigning himself to “rona rage” (if that’s not a term it should be), Burdick did three things that set both him and Veritas up for success.
“When leaders face roadblocks, there are only three possible outcomes: Destruction, Apathy, or Innovation. ”
RELAX
The first thing he did was RELAX. Burdick describes how he needed to “take a step back, take a deep breath, and evaluate.” It is all too easy to panic in stressful situations like this and just start doing things instead of sitting back, breathing, and taking stock of the situation. “Doing” without first “thinking” is a surefire recipe for the destruction we mentioned earlier. Sometimes the best thing we can do when we’re hit with a catastrophic gut punch is to force ourselves to relax in order to prepare our mind, body, and soul for the challenge that lies ahead.
“Creative leaders are those who, when most see a wall, they see an opportunity to climb higher in order to broaden their perspective. ”
REVIEW
The next thing Burdick did was REVIEW. In taking stock of the assets Veritas had at the time, he saw some opportunities that held promise. While it was no longer possible to gather large audiences for the Bellingham Tonight show, they had discovered a desire for connection amongst the community, a desire that would only grow stronger over the coming months as social connection opportunities would be in short supply. So the first thing Veritas did was to take the time to revamp the website while considering ways to continue the show during the shutdown. And while, at first glance, the recent acquisition of their downtown office and recording studio seemed to be all for not, Burdick began ideating ways in which it could continue to produce revenue for the business.
RESPOND
Finally, Burdick was ready to RESPOND. With a healthy state of mind and a fresh account of where their best opportunities lay, the Veritas Team was able to make strategic moves that effectively saved the business. First, they launched Bellingham Now, an offshoot of the Bellingham Tonight show that featured online interviews with local business owners and leaders. The new format of the show allowed the interviewees to share their stories of trial and triumph with the rest of Bellingham. And not only did the virtual episodes maintain the show’s momentum, they also brought in new business from the exposure they gave Veritas. In addition, thanks to a willingness to creatively alter their methods of production, Veritas reacquired their contract with the Bellingham School district to live stream the city’s very first completely virtual graduation ceremony. “In a lot of ways we were inventing this new format in collaboration with the schools. Quarantine had put us in this mode of innovation because we had to problem solve” Burdick said. And finally, after Phase 1 of the quarantine was over, Veritas was able to once again offer their recording studio to businesses and nonprofits in need of new communication tools to reach their customers. They were able to maintain this revenue stream by adapting their practices to comply with ever-changing health and safety standards. In fact they found that the greater restrictions forced upon them allowed them to deliver products more efficiently due to the requirement of having less people within close proximity, which inherently reduced the amount of resources required to create each video.
EATING GLASS
Like all of us, Veritas is far from out of the woods, as there is still no clear end in sight to the challenges of COVID. Yet their story so far can serve as a candle to illuminate our path and give us hope for the possibilities that lie within our own unlocked creativity. Sometimes these trying times can be, in the words of Elon Musk, “like eating glass and staring into the abyss,” yet there is always hope. Like Burdick, if we choose to RELAX first and then REVIEW our situation, we will be able to RESPOND with a solution we never could have imagined if we hadn’t run out of all our other options. The next time you’re tired of chewing glass and staring into what feels like black nothingness, remember that the patterns which you can harness to creatively achieve success are all around you. You only need the boldness to act on them.
Now go be epic and make lemon cheesecake.