“Please attend the meeting, even if you have not brushed your hair”…..I could not have imagined this mantra regarding our daily morning team meeting. Yet, as we have been advised to exercise our business continuity plan and work remotely, I am surprised by the ease and efficiencies we have uncovered while working together “apart.” We start each day with a face-to-face Zoom meeting to create our game plans for the day and share our top priorities.
In spite of the very grim news around the world these last few days, our team has experienced unforeseen benefits because of our social distancing and working from home. Our “lemonade” we created was to reaffirm our deep commitment to help clients through these difficult, but important times. To do that, we feel blessed that we now had more time in our day that was typically reserved for our long commutes. We have also found a greater connection within our team, due to these shared experiences and need to work together to bring our best game every day with time, talent, and information. We are maneuvering our way through market volatility, timely and important trades, meaningful conversations with our clients, and have found a new respect for their strength therein.
For us, and most likely you too, family time has taken on a new quality. We have more time to spend with the kids, go on walks and catch up with those phone calls that we have been meaning to make. Some of us have loved the chance to read the books that have been sitting in a pile for us to “get to”. The cooks in our office have enjoyed the time to try new recipes. In fact, one of our staff mentioned that she is using food more wisely. “I’m cooking differently and not wasting food,” she said. “I use what I have in the cupboard rather than running to the store for missing ingredients.
As a team, we have completed projects that we have pushed off for over a year, giving us a sense of accomplishment and knowledge that we are now poised to be even better on the other side.
Yes, this has tested us all, but will we find hidden gems during these difficult times? How unfortunate cancellations are to the airline industry, but recently I heard a colleague say, “as each of my business trips were canceled, I found myself surprisingly relieved” Our client profoundly stated, “with no sports to watch on TV, I looked across the sofa and found my wife.” Video chats have skyrocketed and virtual family discussions and happy hours have arrived.
How will these experiences change our lives? Is this a tipping point on how we view our time and priorities? One thing we do know, is that we are much more knowledgeable, much more coordinated and much more capable today than we were. We look forward to learning more about your stories and appreciate you even more. We are here to support you and wish you good health during this challenging time.
Olson Wealth Group is a full service wealth management firm. With wise counsel and clear strategies, our experienced specialists provide tailored approaches that strive to maximize wealth. For more information, please visit OlsonWealthGroup.com Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC. Registered states include: AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SD, TX, VA, WA, WI. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results. All indices are unmanaged and may not be invested into directly.