ActionCOACH instructor leads COVID-19 webinar

This is a concerning time for most business owners, but ActionCOACH instructor Paul Raggio is helping entrepreneurs survive the crisis.

Alongside his wife Lisa, Raggio presented his first webinar with SCV Valley Industrial Association, entitled “How SCV Business Owners Can Lead, Think, Plan, and Act Through COVID-19”. The professional instructor, who works for business coaching franchise ActionCOACH, then sent out a message to concerned entrepreneurs in the form of an online blog.

Referencing General Eisenhower talking to his men before sending them into Normandy, Raggio encouraged business owners to treat their employees with sensitivity. He said:

“…calm your troops, allowing them to release pent up anxiety, permission to expose their fear, and a chance to revel in a world to come because of their doing.”

Raggio reinforced the idea that crises bond us together in ways we haven’t experienced before. We’ve all been driven to explore unfamiliar communication platforms. The business coach reflected on the “new normal” likely to bring about a “permanent change in the way we do business”. He explained how he, too, is learning new words all the time: “Zoom, webinars, webcasts, WebEx…”

According to Raggio, we should always lean towards “over-communicating”, rather than risk neglecting our business partners, employees and customers. He encouraged business owners to connect with clear and positive messages, saying:

“Leaders, right now, should be delivering informative, positive and inspirational messages that calm and reassure their constituents that we will get through this together, and projecting an enduring vision of growth and prosperity, and most importantly, giving them purpose.”

It's also a great time to revisit your business’s values. If purpose statements need updating, do this now, and weave them into your video calls, emails, newsletters and marketing campaigns. Ultimately, Raggio urged entrepreneurs to “add doses of positivity, passion and enthusiasm, so it will inspire solutions”.

If you want to find out more, you can email the business coach at paulraggio@actioncoach.com or go to his website, www.paulraggio.actioncoach.com.