How are you dealing with lockdown?
Less than two months ago, none of us would have predicted we would be locked down in our homes with both our working and social lives restricted to virtual communication channels. We would never have expected that our meetings, our conferences, our entertainment and our education would all need to take place from our home offices or kitchen tables.
The Coronavirus pandemic has demanded a new way of existing to which we have had to adapt.
As with all things in life, however, personal relationships matter most. We live in an age where technology such as Facetime, Zoom and Skype have joined e-mails and phone calls in connecting the world more closely than ever before. Unquestionably technology will insulate us from many of the worst effects of ‘self-isolation’. Remote working has been made possible thanks to the seismic changes in connectivity over the last decades and my family, like so many others, have their evenings saved thanks to Netflix.
Most of us have adapted gradually but today’s leaders do not have the luxury of time to make these necessary changes slowly. They have an immediate responsibility for keeping their teams as engaged and as productive as possible, to try to bring some clarity to an uncertain world, to offer some protection from a critically uncertain future.
Innovation is imperative not only to mitigate the adverse impact of the pandemic, but to rise to meet new possibilities.
Thankfully, through continual ongoing investment in IT infrastructure, I can work from anywhere, be that our Isle of Man, Bristol, Dubai offices – or my back garden in West London.
I can access any files relating to professional, pensions or investment services I need and receive live data feeds from across the globe.
For the most important people in our, indeed any business, our clients, this level of connectivity is expected. But when faced with falling markets, liquidity constraints and a seemingly never ending list of ‘what if’ scenarios, all the data in the world is muted if delivered by automated responses from a model portfolio, algorithm or call centre.
When there are questions, they need answers.
They need ideas designed to inspire.
They need support to define their personal vision and values.
With all these ‘what if’ scenarios, the impact on the individual will be hugely variable. At Wilton what drives our business is our relationship with our clients, they know that at the end of the line is always a human being. One they know well, who understands the integrated nature of their affairs and will take personal responsibility for delivering service and working through those ‘what if’ questions together. The personal relationship matters and always will.
While companies across all sectors are experiencing an abrupt drop in business due to the Covid-19 crisis, we want to support people to take this time to reset; to reconnect with their values, and reimagine what business – and a new generation of leadership – can look like.
Ultimately, we don’t know what’s next. Central banks and governments around the world have made clear they will do whatever is required to support their economies. Deficits are going to rise, inflation looks to be driven down by low oil prices and Global DGP in Q2 will see significant falls.
With these shocks will come opportunities, a ‘V’ shaped recovery may see asset values rise from their current lows, changes to how we work may give us more time with the family, the rise of ‘Green Technology’ and changes to transport habits may see unprecedented levels of new infrastructure investment.
As Boris and Trump like to tell us, we’re in a battle against a virus. So to that end I’ll point you in the direction of Sun Tzu, who amongst his many words of wisdom said: “Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought”.
Take the time you now have at home to put some plans in place, connect with the family and talk through how you want the future to look.
To find out how Wilton can help you, get in touch today.
Phone: 01624 675610
Email: mail@wiltongroup.com
Website: www.wiltongroup.com