William Vanderbloemen in Forbes - How to Become an Irreplaceable Employee During COVID-19

William Vanderbloemen, our Founder and CEO, shares his insight into how to become an irreplaceable employee during COVID-19 in a recent Forbes article.

---Ever make the mistake of watching a scary movie right before bed?

One night back in early in March, I was ready to turn out the lights, and I made the mistake of reading an article that was my version of a bad movie. It haunted me, then instructed me. It has proven to be prophetic. Andy Crouch and a couple of colleagues penned “Leading Beyond the Blizzard.” You should read it, just not right before bed.

Basically, the authors asked, “Is the pandemic going to be a disruption that’s like a bad blizzard (that lasts a week or so), a long winter (a mess for a few months), or a mini Ice Age (uh oh).” They predicted that we would be looking at a mini Ice Age. In other words, they believed we weren’t looking at a super-fast recovery. We wouldn’t be looking at an event that only lasted until summer. Rather, we would be facing a very rare circumstance that would deeply affect the job market for the next 12-18 months. Six months into COVID, I’d say they were clairvoyant. 

They went on to say that those who survive the mini Ice Age will be those who revamp their businesses quickly. They encouraged all readers to think of their businesses as startups. And they warned that every day spent denying this reality is a day closer to extinction. They were right. And we took their advice at Vanderbloemen very quickly, changing how we do what we do and preparing for a longer-than-we-would-like life with COVID.

I’ve written about it before, but this Ice Age has convinced me more than ever: agility is the new gold standard.