Back to the Future

-By Manuel Spoel, Teamlead Digital PR at YoungCapital

Sometimes I think I ended up in a kind of ‘Back to the Future’ science fiction film. Everything changed overnight. What we are experiencing together is unprecedented. The coronavirus causes much suffering, fear, confusion and denial. Everyone responds differently to this situation, from their own perspective.

The situation is new to everyone. And so we try and learn every day. My team and I have worked continuously for the past five weeks to do the right thing in these uncertain times. We’ve worked out various scenarios that may happen. Whatever the case, we know what to do. That gives us a sense of control, as far as possible.

Because the numbers and news change every day. Sometimes you have to make hard decisions quickly, but other times it’s better to wait. We choose to act according to the most negative scenario. That way it’s better to adjust the situation to a more positive scenario and prevent panic. But it’s quite difficult. We work with many young people who have never experienced a crisis and for whom feasibility and prosperity are part of normal life. Communication is key here, and we are aware of that. Although we cannot physically see a large part of our people, we communicate with each other more than ever.

We had to learn what it’s like to suddenly manage a decrease in turnover while we have always been a growth company. At the time I’m writing this, it has become apparent that we are not eligible for government help, unlike many other Dutch companies. That means that we have to do everything on our own and that is tough. All of our decisions have an impact on our people, both colleagues within YoungCapital and our temporary workers. That is where my greatest concern lies. You just want to do it right for everyone.

As difficult as it is, somehow I always manage to keep a cool head. I therefore quickly accepted this situation as a new reality. Of course, I sometimes feel uneasy, but an important lesson is that you should never let yourself be controlled by emotion.

In my opinion, a calm state of mind is the greatest asset you could wish for. And it is the basis for good leadership. Not just for leaders, but for everyone. Because if you can take control of your thoughts, no matter how difficult the situation, you are in control. You have a choice of how you behave. When I risk losing myself in emotion, I ask myself: when this is over, how do you want to look back at yourself?

Around me, I see a lot of beautiful things in that respect. People who give themselves fully, who take a few extra steps without complaining about it. People who are going to do completely different work, because their own job has disappeared. People who surpass themselves and people who reveal hidden talents. People who organise virtual social events in all kinds of creative ways, both for the company and for society. They stand out now, and that is great to see.I am therefore very positive. I have a lot of confidence in the people within our company and the clients we work for. We are going to get through this together. Now a few steps back, soon with big steps forward.