Hubler For Business Families
  • Home
  • About
    • Tom Hubler
    • News & Press
  • Services
    • Succession Planning
    • Ownership Planning
    • Management and Leadership Planning
    • Business Planning
    • Family Planning
    • Family Renewal Retreat
  • Speaking
  • Book
  • Resources
    • Free Assessment
    • Case Studies
    • Vision for Success
    • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • Tom Hubler
    • News & Press
  • Services
    • Succession Planning
    • Ownership Planning
    • Management and Leadership Planning
    • Business Planning
    • Family Planning
    • Family Renewal Retreat
  • Speaking
  • Book
  • Resources
    • Free Assessment
    • Case Studies
    • Vision for Success
    • Blog
  • Contact

The Unique Challenges of Returning to Normal

4/7/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Nobody needs a reminder of how challenging the past year has been on us and our world--just about every business owner has been swamped in the difficulties that come with running a business during a pandemic. With vaccine rollouts speeding up and restrictions across the nation starting to loosen up, it seems like there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel. That renewed sense of hope can make it easy to feel like we’ll just slip right back into the normal swing of things, but we also can’t be caught flat-footed by the unique challenges that will come with returning to any sense of normalcy. 

Businesses Have Undergone Trauma--How to Adapt and Survive 
For many businesses, the past year has been little more than triage--small, often family-run businesses like salons, restaurants, and independent shops in particular have faced special difficulties in the face of suppressed business. Staff cuts, changes to hours of operation, and full closures for months at a time have forced many to adapt to this survival mode, and this trauma thinking can cloud judgment as businesses begin to return to normal. Business operators will need to step back and question their own questions: If you’re constantly worrying about if you can afford to bring back an employee, reframe it as “will this employee help generate more income?” If you’re trying to justify a previous business expense that was put on pause during the past year to save money, remind yourself why you invested in it in the first place and if it will be useful as business picks back up. The answer may not be “yes” every time, but it’s helpful to be reminded that austerity measures won’t always be the best way to jump-start business growth after a difficult year. Conversely, some industries have seen massive growth during the past year, and those business operators need to be realistic that “going back to normal” may require planning for a loss in business and subsequent cuts in spending. 

Bringing the Business Back to Business Families 
The pandemic has not only affected the bottom line; it’s also dramatically altered workplace norms and cultures. After a year of working from home, many people will find difficulty in things they once found second-nature--working from an office, dressing professionally every day, dealing with common workplace frictions, etc. While there’s no single piece of advice that can help make this transition smooth, simply being aware of the stress and anxiety it may cause can help people better prepare. 
For business families, this return to a normal business culture can be especially difficult: Families that have worked hard over the years to build healthy work-home boundaries, maintain professional standards with family members they work alongside, and create institutional structure in the workplace may find that those have fallen by the wayside as everyone focused on survival. As businesses regain a sense of normalcy, it’s more important now than ever before to refocus on healthy family business practices: regular family meetings, organized succession plans, and a commitment to a Common Family
Vision™. If you’re a business family that’s spent significant time and effort building a functional work environment, don’t let that falter as the world changes around you. 

​What is the “New Normal?” 

Of course, we’ve spoken at length about a return to normalcy, but we also need to stress that there may never be a full “return” to the way things were. Over the past year, many businesses have successfully adapted and seen their teams work tremendously well using technology, work settings, and organizational structures they never thought possible, and may be in no hurry to give up the changes they’ve found positive. This is fine, and no business should feel pressured to revert away from workplace changes that are clearly beneficial. But every employee has their own preferences and priorities, and even maintaining these new practices may create friction, turnover, and management difficulty; any business doing so needs to be aware and prepare their team for this new reality. 
As the world slowly lurches out of a year-long stasis, any business lucky & smart enough to have survived now needs to set sights on the future, including a return to old challenges and the emergence of new, unforeseen difficulties. For more advice on moving forward after this difficult year, pick up The Soul of the Family Business by Tom Hubler. Through personal anecdotes, real-world case studies, useful tools and frameworks, and more, Hubler offers an in-depth look at the challenges faced, strategies employed, and successes achieved by all sorts of family businesses. You can pick up The Soul of the Family Business, available in hardcover form on Amazon.com, directly through Itasca Books, or at a bookstore near you. And of course, if you’re ready to take the next steps, you can always contact Hubler for Business Families today.

​
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Most read blogs

    Categories

    All
    Business Planning
    Case Studies
    Family Planning
    Featured In
    Management And Leadership
    Most Read Articles
    Ownership Planning
    Succession Planning
    Twin Cities Business

    RSS Feed

    FREE Resources

    Family Renewal Retreat™

    SCHEDULE YOUR FREE ORIENTATION MEETING.

    Take this risk-free first step in ensuring the continued success of your family business now. There is no charge for the orientation meeting other than out-of-pocket expenses for travel. 

    TOM HUBLER WILL GIVE YOU A FREE ORIENTATION.

    Does your family business need help with succession planning, conflict resolution, management or other issues? If so, we'll arrange a one-on-one orientation meeting with you and Tom Hubler to help you explore the possibilities of working with us. If you choose, your family and business associates can also attend. Here, in a relaxed environment, you can talk about:
    • Key family business issues
    • Plans necessary for the success of your family-owned business
    • Possibilities and expectations
    • Terms of the relationship

About

Hubler for Business Families helps family businesses manage the boundary between their business/financial concerns and family relationships.

LEARN MORE

Services

Succession Planning
​Management and Leadership Planning
Ownership Planning
Business Planning
Family Planning
Family Renewal Retreat
Speaking

Platinum Group

​​Hubler for Business Families and Platinum Group are merging to meet the unique challenges of family owned businesses.

​LEARN MORE

Resources

Picture
Case Studies
​Vision for Success
​Other Resources
Site Map
​The Soul of Family Business

SHOP The Soul Of Family Businesses
Free Assessment
​© COPYRIGHT HUBLER FOR BUSINESS FAMILIES 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
​
WEBSITE DESIGNED BY: SKOL MARKETING