When theologian Reinhold Niebuhr wrote these words, never could he have imagined how powerful and pertinent his “prayer” could have been for the strangest of times within which we now find ourselves.

And whether you are religious or agnostic, the words are equally important, because they speak entirely to our attitude and thought processes.

“(God) Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to accept the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference…”

I well recall lying on a beach in Plettenberg Bay over the December holidays and reading about this virus for the first time. We have all watched enough movies like Outbreak and the subsequent slew of pandemic-porn related series and offshoots to know that what happens in one part of the world will take but days or weeks, with global air travel, to happen elsewhere in the world.

And so, I pondered this news report, being a lifelong, self-confessed germophobe, possibly a bit longer than most. But I thought, surely the World Health Organisation would clamp down on it really quickly if it indeed posed major risk – and as we all know bad news sells, so perhaps it wasn’t as dreadful as the tweet suggested.

Being in the marketing and communications industry, I can also see many different ways the coronavirus could have been introduced to the world. Flu, after all, is also caused by a virus, yet we never hear people talking in hushed, dramatic tones about the influenza virus despite it killing tens of thousands annually. It reminds me of the days when my grandmother would whisper to my mom that a friend had “cancer” or the Big C. 

Now, not for a second should you misinterpret these observations as me remotely underplaying the very real perils of this virus. The death toll in Italy and China alone point directly to how dangerous it is, but the communication by the media and many governments thus far have taken it to the absolute extreme limits – much as you’d expect reading about the spread, heaven forbid, of an entirely lethal Ebola-type illness. It’s all about deaths and infections. There is little focus on survival and recovery.

The iconography and imagery used by television channels showing rapidly multiplying red virus cells as a background picture is intended to spread dread in our hearts and have our eyeballs glued to their channels. It is sadly, pure gold for their revenue streams which are based on sizes of audiences.

Politicians similarly are benefitting from their new-found relevance as scandals, dodgy histories and looming elections fall into the background, and now being the country captain elevates them to becoming saviours and knights in shining armour.

The ghoulish media and political machines are not going to dial down the panic. It’s not in many of their best interests in the short term. And both play the short-term game.

We’ll have to get our objective advice from trusted experts such as the now-awakened WHO, our local medical doctors and leading epidemiologists – when they agree.

So, going back to Niebuhr’s quote, the things we cannot change are the legislation that has been put in place to prevent transmission and “to flatten the curve” so as to prevent our hospitals being overwhelmed by a tsunami of ill citizens. The things we cannot change are the elderly and immune-compromised being at far greater risk than the young and healthy.

The things we cannot change are many (not all) of the direct and dreadful consequences for the hospitality and travel industries and their supply chains. Bricks and mortar business, like high street shopping and centres will be hugely impacted and many of our companies will start feeling pressures and slowdowns in unforeseen areas.

We will all be affected. We are all in this together, and while wealth will no doubt provide a buffer for many, it won’t deliver a “get out of jail free card” for anyone. We saw yesterday how former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz died at 76. A national celebrity and Spanish VIP.

It’s also the first time I can recall where the plight of 5-10% of the population in terms of a mortality rate, will impact the other 90% of the population in terms of consequence. The decisions that the WHO and governments have taken to protect an immuno-compromised and elderly population is highly commendable and is, on the surface, incredibly humane. The flip side of that same coin is total economic devastation, lasting unemployment, poverty and all the related health and social ills. And there will be a definite lag effect, post-Covid-19, that is yet to be determined. When life and the economy return to a new normal.

So, what can we do?

My wife Sara taught me a saying over 25 years ago. “A problem shared, is a problem halved” and although simplistic on one level, it is equally profound. The fact is that we are all in this together. We are all fighting a new common enemy:

1. The virus itself.
2. The impact on our businesses and our clients’ businesses.
3. Unemployment and the related concerns for our staff and the country.
4. The social impact on ourselves and our families.

None of these problems is unique to any individual – it’s our collective burden. One to share. It’s a time to lean on one another for emotional support.

But, here’s the thing. Our attitude will either make us or break us. It’s as brutally simple as that. We can either succumb to all being lost and fall into a depression, or to dig deep and see how we can pull together and innovate towards surviving.

Companies need to focus right now on two things:

1. Survival
2. Retaining as many of their staff as is possible.

Bottom-line profits are no longer of primary concern. That is until we are well out of these stormy waters. Shareholders will understand the unprecedented nature of these times.

Winston Churchill was famously quoted as saying “never let a good crisis go to waste” and other than perhaps some of the media, politicians (both touched on above) and pharma companies, it’s hard to determine who exactly stands to benefit from this particular situation. Very few.

I am not one to try to reframe the harsh realities of any crisis. I do not enjoy the poems that call for solitude and listening to birds while in isolation or admiring the crystal blue water and seemingly fictitious dolphins which have returned to the Grand Canals of Venice.

I did not enjoy quiet time with my family during load shedding or doing puzzles and playing Pictionary by candle-light, and if others do, they are lucky and I genuinely respect the rose-tinted lenses through which they choose to see the world.

My suggestions are perhaps a little less emotive.

We need to be creative, proactive and resourceful. We need to identify the real issues confronting our businesses and families and seek solutions which work. If cashflow is a huge concern due to events being shut down, for example for a wedding planner, talk to your bank and see how they can assist you with asset-based finance solutions.

Maybe you could offer distance training courses on how to throw events – or look at related industries that could benefit from your expertise?

If you are a sit-down restaurant, see how you can do delivery or take-aways. How you can offer convenience and value to survive.

I recall when I was running the M&C SAATCHI Group in Australia during the global financial crisis, some restaurants allowed customers to determine what they could pay for a meal as opposed to set pricing. In many instances, people paid over the former set price. Some people tipped handsomely. There is nothing wrong with a restaurant asking for a voluntary staff tip for takeaways. Many know and understand the waiters cannot survive without tips. We are all in this together. Offer value meals – most people are going to be cash-strapped.

We need to apply this to all our own businesses. How can we be more useful? Where could our products find fresh application? How can we collaborate and help other businesses and in doing so, protect our own?

Be proactive in your problem-solving. Approach your creditors for better terms if need be – or ask landlords for short-term reduced rentals. Talk to your schools about fees before they come to you. There are few people who cannot fathom the very implications a crisis like this may have. We may be out of it in two months, we may have a prolonged and devastating situation on our hands. We don’t know and it doesn’t help to speculate. There are currently no answers.

The only things that will most certainly help are “to have the courage to accept the things we can change”:

1. To know you are not alone;
2. To consciously try to maintain a positive outlook;
3. To be proactive; and
4. To innovate whenever and wherever possible.

It is easier said than done, but sadly we have no other choice if we want to navigate these stormy seas as best we can. DM