We are starting to take our first tentative steps back to a “Next New Normal”. Some of you are in endless meetings trying to figure out what this might mean for your business, and some of you are waiting to be called back to work. There is a large group of my readers who are not sure what their future holds. And I don’t think any of us has a clear picture of what tourism will look like post Covid-19. But we are a positive bunch, right? So let’s get to work on imagining our future.
Your imagination is a powerful tool.
We are all going to be encountering situations that are new. New standards and policies will have to be developed. But we are also in a unique time because we can look at things that have never been before and use our imaginations to create the future. Now I am not saying we need to light candles and all listen to ‘The Secret’ to implement the law of attraction. I am talking about a more concrete way to build your future. Brainstorming. Here is the Wikipedia definition:
Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members.
In other words, brainstorming is a situation where a group of people meet to generate new ideas and solutions around a specific domain of interest by removing inhibitions. People are able to think more freely and they suggest as many spontaneous new ideas as possible. All the ideas are noted down without criticism and after the brainstorming session the ideas are evaluated. The term was popularized by Alex Faickney Osborn in the 1967 book Applied Imagination.
Brainstorming sessions can be very powerful if you write down all ideas without judging them. I have seen first hand how a crazy idea can later transform into a workable solution. Set a non-judgement zone and see what comes out of it.
When I am working on a SWOT analysis with a client or group, I have everyone come up with 10 opportunities. People can think of 2-3 ideas for their business, but when forced to come up with 10, creativity tends to kick in. I always say that numbers 5-8 tend to be the best ideas!
This will never work…
UNLESS. It is a powerful word. It keeps the door open and forces your brain to find an option. We are going to all be hearing ideas that would never work – if we think the way we did before March 2020. But we don’t live in that world anymore so we need to think differently.
- We will never be able to hand out PPE to every guest, unless…
- There is no way our restaurants can survive with social distancing rules, unless…
- As a tour operator, people will not want to get on my buses again unless…
- Now that I am unemployed I will never find another job in tourism again unless…
Do you see how adding the word ‘unless’ gives you a step towards a solution? Try to use the word unless every day.
Thankful
One of the hardest things to feel when you are under a lot of stress is thankfulness. Life is in chaos, bills need to be paid and it is hard to see a bright future. I know, I am with you. And I have gone through challenging seasons in my life that I thought would never end. But years ago I started the habit of finding three things to be thankful for every day.
When I first started doing this I was a single parent of three with a tourism job that barely covered my bills. I taught myself to be thankful for electricity, running water and a sunny day because nothing else seemed to be going right. But then I realized that those truly were things to be thankful for, and I started seeing more things to be thankful for every day.
Do you have friends reaching out via Zoom? Has your garden started to grow? Did you see something funny on Facebook today that made you LOL? We are all going through challenging times so it is extra important to find things to be thankful for every day. And they are there.
How can I help you this month?
Have you checked out Tourism Pro Academy? There are free resources, online courses and more. Take some time to learn something new during our National “Pause”. I am adding new courses this month so check it out! Click here to access the site for free.
DMO’s – Are you looking for ways to provide some value to your members during this time? Would you like to offer a live webinar such as “Continue your Career from Your Couch” that I can host? Join organizations such as
who have hired me already this year to educate and inform their members. Click here for additional information on the Online Tourism Training Program.
New! Profile Sheet 911. We know that your profile sheet is your sales ambassador in the Group Tour market. Is yours doing it all it should? Is it effective in answering tour operator questions and making your business sound appealing? Get ready now for when group tours start picking back up.
Get ready now for the upcoming trade show season- whatever it might look like. Sign up for the new Profile sheet 911 program. For only $69 you will get a customized review that is also recorded. Click here for more details. This will be fun!
My friend Jonathan Elkboubi has teamed up with some other Tourism Pros and created HTTA and asked me to share:
If you have recently joined the ranks of the unemployed and furloughed of the US Hospitality, Travel, Tourism and Activities Industries, we invite you to register now at www.HTTA.us. HTTA is a benevolent, confidential and secured database meant to allow you to remain connected to the Trade Associations and DMOs you were involved with, which are unaware of your current work status. We will be adding new functionalities to benefit you once recovery starts, such as industry job boards, a continuing education resource center, and a recovery information repository.
Can I ask a favor? Could you share this post with at least 2 of your colleagues who would benefit from reading it? And then they can sign up here to receive my posts directly to their inbox. Thank you!