We are all in this together, even when isolated.

For the first time in our recent history, we are experiencing a global problem that affects us on many different levels. Professionally, we are learning what it means to have a fully virtual operation, and personally, we need to manage personal life, work demands, and general precautions recommended for the population. Of course, there are also those who continue with "normal" life, with more attention and restrictions.

If this is true for individuals, it is also the reality for brands and organizations.

In recent weeks, we have seen a series of initiatives and movements that put adaptability to the test as a fundamental characteristic of this new decade – as our partner Andrea Janér has been saying. Oxygen, in his daily live streams on Instagram.

The first moment is one of apprehension. What to do now? A tip: do something, and do it now. But not haphazardly, nor at any cost.

In this context, it is necessary to operate under certain premises, which are now becoming part of the rules of the game. Here, we highlight some of them.

Leadership needs to take a more proactive approach to solving problems.

Within organizations, various companies have created their own ways to migrate operations to a virtual environment. In many cases, they provided work tools, acquired software, and changed routines to adapt to the new reality. Training, meetings, and alignment processes were revised to generate more engagement, improved returns, and to build trust between teams and leaders.

Short-term vision

We're used to making plans for five years from now. Of course, they're important, they're still valid, but our focus should be on tomorrow, on next week. If the VUCA world sounded almost like a theoretical model, today we live it firsthand and we need to be able to act and position ourselves in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world.

Relevant communication

On the one hand, we are isolated, but on the other, we have never had so many tools to connect. And this comes at a very high cost. There is so much information, suggestions, tips, and news. The point is that, firstly, information overload becomes noise. Secondly, your users and your team need relevant communication that will make a difference in their lives. The same applies to brands. If you're not going to say something relevant that builds value for your brand and for the world, it's better not to say anything. And, above all, more than just talking, it's important to implement, to do, to take the lead and inspire people to transform the world.

Opportunity, opportunism, and purpose.

Yes, it's crucial to truly understand the difference between opportunity and opportunism – individuals and brands will be held accountable for knowing this difference – and to recognize that every crisis is also an opportunity. But we need to go beyond that. Opportunity is built with real actions, separating what should stay and what should go after this crisis, because we know we won't be the same, nor will our businesses. The real opportunity is putting your purpose – your talent, your greatest vocation, at the service of a positive impact on the world – into action. Your purpose must be proactive. This is the first step for brands and organizations to act genuinely, generating value for their businesses, their audiences, and the ecosystem. We will discuss this further in another article.

For now, take care of yourselves, wash your hands, stay home if you can, and stay calm, this will pass soon.