COVID-19 is not our first crisis, nor do I imagine it will be our last. Though we can draw upon lessons from past crisis - like the financial meltdown of 2008 or the swine flu outbreak (H1N1) in 2009, the economic and social impact of coronavirus is unparalleled. Its effects on the workforce have manifested itself on multiple fronts - financial, physical, and psychological, making it first and foremost a humanitarian crisis.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.....it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity. The famous opening lines from Charles Dickens’ timeless classic ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ captures a time of controversies and chaos - exactly the times we are living in now! Companies are caught in a constant state of conflict between survival and the two woes - cutting salaries or worse, laying people off.

Over the last two weeks, the key theme at two of my coaching conversations has been ‘Pistanthrophobia’. Yes, it’s an actual phobia, which means the fear of trust. Both sessions involved the founders of two very different companies – both of whom are passionate, focused, driven, and completely hands-on individuals running their growing firms.