Coronavirus: Are we resilient or vulnerable?

We live in interesting times. First and foremost, I hope you and your family, friends and co-workers are safe and healthy.

I’ll admit, I’ve been struggling to write to all of you. What can be said in such a time that doesn’t sound contrived, dramatic, or overly cautious?

Many of you know I have lived in N. America, Europe and Asia. I have a Swiss wife and two young children, and many family and friends spread around the world, from Vancouver to Chicago, Zurich and Beijing.

We also have older parents living in countries where the situation is far worse than our home country of Canada. While I lived through SARS when I was in Asia, this situation, as we all know, is somewhat unique.

The pragmatist in me says that we are a resilient population, and we will get through this. But it’s clear there will be continued loss and suffering along the way.

At The Tantalus Group, we are encouraging our team to be socially distant in line with local government regulations. We have learned from colleagues in China that faced many of these challenges earlier this year. We monitor the situation regularly, and adjust our business accordingly.

For example, we are offering many of our services virtually, from management consulting to online training and development.

My colleague John Bailey recently wrote about the importance of preparedness in times of crisis vis-a-vis coronavirus. You may find it helpful as you activate business continuity plans and try to sharpen messaging for your various stakeholders.

Please let us know if you need any support. And be well.

Wylie Rogers
President, The Tantalus Group