Reclaiming the Commitment to Excellence in the New Normal

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to share some thoughts at a webinar hosted by New Energy Events titled “From the Front Line: Caribbean Corporate Leaders on the Impacts of COVID-19.”

For me, this was more than an opportunity, I found it to be a coachable moment whereby I, alongside other industry leaders had a chance to share stories and insight into how we were faring in light of the ongoing pandemic; and more importantly, our post-COVID recovery plans, not only for the companies we represent, but for the clients we serve.

What we had in common, much as is the case with every major tipping point in humanity’s history, is that when a crisis came along, it presented the opportunity for people to act.

In the last 4 months, we discovered that alongside this pandemic came the chance for diverse groups to work together with the understanding that increased collective thought; patience and resilience would be needed for us to potentially “bounce back”. This collective reasoning was much needed as no single entity or government had any idea of how this situation was going to unravel.

Of course, we all had the same access to the information in real time, but with varying impact to our respective businesses. For Blue Waters Limited, the pandemic impacted every aspect of their operations and business models, according to its Managing Director, Dominic Hadeed. In doing so, Dominic said something that really stood out to me – “You cannot come out of COVID the same way. You can’t come back; you have to come better.” A prime example of not only coming back but coming back even stronger is the 2020 instalment of the Caribbean Premier League tournament. According to the League’s CEO, Pete Russell, the League has benefited from the region’s competent handling of the pandemic thus far and as such, transformed its model to present a different look and feel from previous years. For the first time ever, CPL will be held in one country – Trinidad and Tobago – without in stadia spectators, similar to the English Premier League (EPL). The EPL has successfully ridden the wave of the new normal since fans and players remain connected by the energy of the sport, but through a television screen or digital device. The CPL will be no different, and I, for one, am excited to be a part of this historic new normal and cultural shift. Quite exciting.

We’ve seen a lot of cultural shifts and depictions of our new normal over the last 4 months. Smiles being hidden under masks, handshakes and hugs being reduced to elbow bumps and the introduction of physical distance as the new love language. As we watched the news stories unfold, we also were deeply moved by the lives being affected by this new normal, but as regional leaders we didn’t have an answer as to what our next steps would be. From where I sit, as a regional banker, it was understandable that changes and loss would be inevitable in the face of this human tragedy, but getting a first-hand account of each industry leader’s journey through COVID-19’s rapid waters gave new meaning to a phrase that has been on everyone’s lips – “COVID-19 respects no one”.

In such a seemingly chaotic time, I held firm to one of my strongest values, that open and honest discourse is important in lighting the way forward. Though Trinidad and Tobago is my native home, in late 2019 I spread my professional wings to the ECCU and St Maarten; and did so with a measure of excitement; a feeling of vigour and determination to settle into my new portfolio and build something new.

You see, in November 2019, the Republic Group expanded operations in the Eastern Caribbean. I was leading the new team and we were ready and raring to go – excited at the prospects of sharing the Republic Brand with new customers while serving the wider community and giving them all the very best of what the Republic Group has to offer.

Then, came COVID-19…

Certainly, from the get-go, the global pandemic demonstrated just how swiftly, and decidedly socio-economic environments can change. Moreover, it continues to show us what happens to those ecosystems that are either unwilling or unprepared to adapt. Unexpectedly, it has also shown us that at any given time, we must be ready to assess the winds around us and adjust our sails to suit. For me, adjusting my sails meant adding even more tenacity to the goal of succeeding during this period of ongoing uncertainty.

When the responses to the pandemic started affecting businesses, banks across the region quickly identified that the help needed was one of cash flow support. It was a defensive approach, but it was a necessary one.

The moratoria on customer loans that we extended were specifically designed to do just that – to help ease the cash flow burden and preserve the financial futures of our clients; and, on the other hand, afford more available income to not only steady their businesses’ and employees’ futures but also, where possible, to reinvest into becoming stronger.

I always fondly recall an exchange I had with one of our customers who is a small business hotelier based in St. Lucia. When I had asked him how he was faring with the halt in tourism revenue, he expressed his gratitude at being given the chance to hold off on repaying his loans for the short term. What moved me most was him telling me that the money was being used to refurbish his apartments so that when things got back as close to normal as possible, that he would be in a prime position to make the most of it, an embodiment of Dominic Hadeed’s all-encompassing contribution – “You can’t come back, you have to come better”.

In fact, the region’s tourism industry was so harshly affected that in 72 hours, the Royalton All-Inclusive Luxury Resorts’ occupancy decreased from 95% to 0% – a very vivid picture painted by the Royalton’s parent company’s Executive Vice President, Daniel Diaz of the Sunwing Travel Group.

And so, we return to that buzz phrase I mentioned earlier – “new normal”. Outside of wearing face masks and physical distancing to protect ourselves, what does the new normal for businesses look like? How do we protect our businesses from becoming victims of COVID-19? The prevalence of this pandemic has revealed the increased need for us at the Republic Group to work hand in hand with our clients to ensure they develop carefully curated sustainability plans, to not only “come back” but to “come better”. We’ve taken a holistic approach in achieving this which includes, establishing open communication between our clients and respective Relationship Managers, offering flexible and effective banking products and services, providing easy access to relevant information and best practices through webinars, all while renewing a sense of thought in the face of these challenges.

In order for the region, to meet the realities we currently face, head on, we need to adopt the thinking, tools and strategies we need to see the big picture; but most importantly, we “have to prepare for the downtime” of the unexpected future, and for this, our clients will continue to have our full support.