Now more than ever, community matters. Lean on your neighbors, social circles, and professional network for support, and they’ll know they can lean on you too. At Major Tom, we value and trust our community partnerships and we wanted to share them with you. For businesses looking to create community partnerships, let us introduce you to the people who have gotten us through tough times. (Read the official press release.)
Lyn Bryan, Major Tom’s CEO, weighs in below on the power of shared experiences and the importance of community partnerships.
Before I begin please bear with me, I’m going to attempt to write this post without using the words ‘uncertain’, “pivot’, or ‘unprecedented’ because, honestly, I’m fatigued from reading and hearing these words.
Please use the translation list below for reference:
So, here goes:
The crapshoot germ fight has uprooted what we think of as normal seemingly overnight. This physically distant professional world is new for many folks out there. The changes we’ve seen are going to be long lasting. There are, however, many people who have always worked remotely and found it to be a cost-effective and highly collaborative solution for their businesses. It has been amazing witnessing Major Tom transition to a fully remote workforce. This has left me wondering how we will further integrate remote options once the lockdown is over, but that’s a discussion for another day.
A few weeks ago I was watching Miles Sellyn, the President of Major Tom, give a Business in Vancouver interview. He said something that really resonated with me:
"I think we're in a unique situation. This is probably the only time in our lives that we collectively are all having a shared experience. And I think...that there is something quite comforting in knowing that everyone you talk to, you instantly have something in common with. Hopefully, as we get into whatever that new normal is...that recognition of that shared experience will persist"
There is great connection that comes from shared experience. I personally have spoken to more people from my past over the past weeks than I have in years. I’ve also been enjoying a new level of connection at work as we forge through shit together while socially distancing, in an effort to keep our business healthy and protect the future of our agency.
We are all going through this germ fight together, and as shit as it is, there’s also something special happening in the way we’re connecting with others. The beauty of connection and appreciation for those fighting for our health is inspiring and leaves us all questioning, what can we do to help?
These freakish times call for strength and swift action as business leaders grapple with how to pirouette. As Miles references in the interview:
"Right now, for business, this is wartime. It requires a different set of skills in leadership than in peacetime. So it's a lot about pace: Speed of decision making, trust among leadership teams, how fast teams can make decisions, and how fast can they put things into action."
So we asked ourselves, how can we help?
To make the swift decisions required by business leaders, you can't stand alone. You need a strong and trusted team to execute. As I think back to the last major recession, I know that the reason we came out stronger than ever is because of those leaders in our community who we turned to for expertise and insight in our time of need. I know we will weather the storm this time for the same reasons.
At Major Tom, we exist to unite our great people with great brands. This mission extends far beyond client engagements. Over the years, we have worked with many impactful companies that share our values. Whether that be legal, accounting, HR, IT, or consultants, these partners have been invaluable in our growth by navigating market turns and big opportunities.
In the spirit of connection, we want to share a few of the companies in our network, in which we have complete trust. We know that they can help other business leaders transform bananas times into big opportunities. Get ready to pirouette:
The last time we hit a recession in 2009 we engaged with a business consulting boutique called Bellrock Management Consulting. We talk to this day (over a decade later) about how Tara Landes and her team are a big part of who we are and the success we have seen over the last 10 years.
In the 2009 recession, we were smaller and more vulnerable with less concrete processes across our finance and operations team. Bellrock helped implement much-needed systems and meeting structures which without a doubt gave us the leg up we needed to move from strength to strength ever since.
Ook Enterprises is a technology and IT managed services firm. For over 5 years now we have worked with Ook to support our IT requirements in Vancouver, Toronto, and New York. Ook encouraged our move to the cloud about 3 years ago. We would be in a world of trouble right now as we adapt to a fully remote workforce if it hadn't been for the expertise and implementation support Ook provides.
As a small business of under 100 employees, we often work with 3rd parties to support our HR and recruitment needs. ElevenEleven Talent has been called to the rescue on various occasions and provided support and consulting for change management and allowed us to ramp up our hiring efforts in times of need.
The crapshoot germ fight has caused a mad scramble for support across the business world. To help alleviate some of the chaos, we’ve joined forces with the above-mentioned parties. We’ve worked with them to identify specific services that are needed by businesses right now. We have streamlined the engagement process by hosting these services for eCommerce purchase on our Tin Can Shop.
In a time where your business depends on making smart, fast decisions tapping into a network of pre-vetted service providers can make the difference between failing and thriving. It is with absolute confidence that we introduce these partners to our customers, friends, and followers. They are an extension of the Major Tom family. Through making the connection, perhaps they’ll become an extension of your business family in time as well.
What has always been true, but never more obvious than now, is that the only way we can overcome and thrive is to lean on our community and our connections—professionally and personally. If we can embrace that now, and even more importantly, recognize the necessity of connection and community when our new normal arrives, we can not only overcome this germ fight but come out a stronger business for it.
If you are a business leader in need of expertise from great Business Consultants, Human Resource professionals, or IT providers, check out our partner services on the Tin Can Shop: The Germ Fight Collective.
Welcome to our community.
In closing, crapshoot germ fights are bananas. So, stay connected and freakishly pirouette through the shit together. If you have any questions, we're here to answer them.
A mountaintop perspective inspires us to let go of lesser things and makes us consider what is of value.
