As we move through February and try to maintain our optimism for 2021 it has been made difficult by states still not cooperating on COVID-19 and closing borders with little warning, throwing plans into chaos, and separating families once again.
Managing our mental health becomes of paramount importance, reaching out to friends and family not only to check if they are ok but to make sure you are ok.
I have often spoken about my struggles with depression and while I survived 2020 as I was able to keep working and concentrating on other projects, I am finding 2021 is not so easy to cope with.
I think the expectations I had of freedom were just too high.
As the coronavirus is a national issue, as I have discussed on many occasions, it should be managed at a federal level. Unfortunately, the federal government has given this power to the states and they do not seem to be able to cooperate for the best outcome for all Australians.
One thing the coronavirus has shown is, the world has moved into a new way of working with many workers remaining working from home, some choosing to return to the office full time and many wanting to maintain the flexibility by combining both options.
Also, as many workers were made redundant and businesses were closed, many decided to use their own resources to turn their side hustles into a business or start a completely new business or become consultants.
We now see a plethora of new coaches offering their services for leadership, entrepreneurship, business coaching, branding and many others; before you go to the expense of hiring any type of coach or consultant, ensure that they understand you, your business and what you want to achieve.
Nobody understands your business like you do and if you really concentrate on what you do well and focus on your strengths and hire good people to fill the gaps you do not really need anybody to coach you into your leadership roles.
Many businesses are persuaded to hire consultants to improve their businesses and unfortunately some consultants know nothing or little about the industry that they are consulting in and the business is left poorer in money and management after the consultation is complete and the consultant has departed.
The alternative to this of course is to get a mentor within the business community that you operate in, someone who understands the business, the industry and what works and what does not.
Most businesspeople are happy to assist others so long as they are not being taken advantage, when I was in business with my family and then alone, I was supported by various businessmen who were a wealth of information and they helped me enormously.
Sometimes, the answer to your problem or issue is as close as your industry association or your personal or professional network.
Never underestimate who knows who, or who knows where to go for the answers in this amazing industry of transportation.