How to reinvent yourself after a pandemic?
In 2020, our lives were turned upside down as a result of COVID-19. Globally, we were involved in a pandemic that meant a radical turn in social, economic and work life. In addition to the uncertainty due to the health crisis, we had to face the negative impact on many companies and activities. There were non-stop cancellations of orders, stoppages of services and some companies and freelancers in sectors related to leisure, catering, entertainment and many other areas had to cease their activity.
Reinvent yourself and start over
Many people were clear that they had to reinvent themselves and start again. This meant changing their way of thinking and the strategy to follow. How to reinvent a business after a pandemic? I invite you to reflect with some of the ideas that emerged in the Café con Talento debate that we discussed on this topic, reinvention at a professional level after a pandemic.
Reinventing yourself after the pandemic
In this debate we will have the participation of three great specialists with a long professional career,
José Miguel García Muñiz
, (psychologist specialized in orientation and talent management),
Iván Romero
, (creator of Herizont Innovación) and
Nico Castro
, (CEO and Co-founder of Pitch Music Marketing and Head of Digital Marketing Grupo Unisono).
How did you face your professional reinvention?
When you need to reinvent yourself, what you should do is analyze the situation, says José Miguel. In his case he took a risky step, because he left his job, but he had previously tested what he was going to do and see the possible paths he had as options. Nico says that in his case during the pandemic he decided to set up a limited company, he had been thinking about it before, he had read about entrepreneurship and made the decision a month before the confinement was declared. He believes that it has been a great learning, although for him it was important that he decided to undertake in an area where he already had previous experience working in a company. Iván says that before starting his company he had already been working in his company for several years and combining it with his work.
Practice cheap micro-experimentation: fail fast and cheap.” It is interesting to be daring and try new things, but do it quickly with an initial test, Iván Romero
What are the keys to success to keep in mind before making the reinvention?
Nico comments that it is important to be in “permanent beta”, you have to have restlessness, leave your comfort zone, want to contribute more to society. Having the energy to get up every day and want to contribute something different to the world. Iván adds that it is important to know how to manage the fears that the idea of starting a company entails, that fear does not paralyze us, that we give ourselves an opportunity to exploit our possibilities to the maximum and want to be better. José Miguel comments that there is nothing concrete, since it depends on each person, and also therefore on what the person wants to achieve, what their objectives are. It is key to have experience, give a quality service and make people see what is the quality of the service you are going to offer. Nowadays it is easy to communicate the quality of your services through your comments, opinions and your publications through social networks.
How can we manage our fears so that they do not paralyze us and take action to reinvent ourselves?
Iván comments that it is important to be clear and connect with the main motivation that the person has, what we are passionate about, what makes us move and that we want to live from that, from what we like. Find our essence to remember it in difficult moments. José Miguel adds that it is important to analyze, from the previous work we have had, what we did not like. Doing that analysis can also help us know what we want to do and also what we are good at, what our strengths are and become aware of what we are good at. The Objectives They are achieved not only by wanting them, but also by becoming aware of the internal resources we have to be able to obtain them. Nico also comments that fears can be “less fear” by building communities and supporting them. Sometimes it is difficult to share our intimate life and our fears with other people, but in the pandemic he has learned that sharing those fears helps us to see that we are not alone, they do not happen only to us, and so we can find support to overcome it.
Is entrepreneurship for everyone?
José Miguel comments that it is not for everyone, since you need to like some of the aspects that entrepreneurship entails, such as managing uncertainty or lack of security. It is also important that the person analyzes what training, knowledge, experiences and qualities they have to be able to face the venture, if they really want to do it. Ivan also believes that entrepreneurship is not for everyone, but the good news is that you can learn to undertake, if it is really what you want. Nico comments that entrepreneurship can be done in many ways, and in the case of starting a company perhaps it is not for everyone, but the fact of “starting a new project”.
Consider an action plan with specific times: how long am I willing to focus on this goal to achieve it as I have defined it?, José Miguel García Muñiz
What are the skills needed to reinvent yourself?
Nico comments that digital skills today are very important, the world requires more digital knowledge. On the other hand, active listening, listening with the intention of learning from other people is very important. In addition, effective communication is also of vital importance, especially now that written communication (email) has been used much more during confinement. Ivan comments that we think of the metaphor of climbing a mountain. We need to prepare the ground, plan, take risks, look for the best paths, learning, and develop a positive and courageous attitude to dare. José Miguel points out the importance of knowing that we cannot relax and think that “we no longer need to learn anything else”, or belittle others, since you can always learn a lot from situations and other people. It is important to always be open to learning new things, to be curious, since we are in a world in continuous change and the more we learn the more capacity to adapt we will have.
The best plan of action is to be informed, we must all have as a daily plan to be informed. It is important to dedicate time to our learning and to be informed, Nico Castro
What tips to manage uncertainty when entrepreneurship?
Ivan suggests “cheap micro-experimentation: failing fast and cheap.” It is interesting to be daring and try new things, but do it quickly with an initial test, to know if it can work, before taking the step of investing more money and then the mistake is more expensive, (so you can change the strategy if necessary). Nico adds that it is important to professionalize the services, that you have the options measured, that you have the idea of “being the best”, of offering quality, not making botches, but that quality and excellent service must be the hallmark from the beginning. José Miguel adds that the results of the changes do not come overnight, if I want to reinvent myself I must go little by little and measure what I am doing, observe what works for me and what does not, to see what I can change and improve what depends on me.
And you, what do you think about today’s topic? How to reinvent yourself after the pandemic? What would you like to share?
