Contributors to the COVIDContinuity website are known as Champions, as they provide their leadership, insight, and resources to assist other business owners in these challenging times. We will be featuring these Champions on our blog.
Jennifer Metituk
Owner of Speedpro Signs, Grande Prairie
How have you adapted your leadership style through the crisis?
I have tried to remove chance and uncertainty for my staff. I still get feedback but will often suggest what I would do if I was them. I have learned that it’s important to be stronger in instructing them instead of letting them figure things out. My thought was that they are under stress I have no idea about. For them to have to make little decisions at work or feel uncertain in any way, like adding pressure on hitting sales goals, for example, is something I’ve tried to eliminate or reduce. I want them to feel solid when they’re here at work, and don’t want it to add to their stress in any way.
Describe a tough decision you’ve had to make since the pandemic started.
We had to lay off staff at the start of the pandemic. Deciding who to bring back to work and when has been challenging. It is not a popularity contest, and they all wanted to get back to work, but it was not possible to have everyone on the team come back to work on the same day.
How are you feeling?
Compared to the recessions and economic downturns we experienced in 2008 and 2014, I feel less stressed. I am worried about our customers, though, and we are doing everything we can to ensure their health and safety. Overall, I feel very optimistic that Alberta, and Grande Prairie, in general, is well poised to work our way out of this. If we stick together and support local businesses, and local businesses continue to step up and offer great products and services, we will all come out of this okay.
Learn more about Speedpro Signs Grande Prairie
Connect with Jennifer Metituk.
CommAlert’s Tim Carwell is a co-founder of COVIDContinuity.com. This website provides current and useful information, resources, and support to business owners and non-profits as we’ve navigated through the public health emergency. It is all available all for free. The CommAlert Group continues to support this movement and strongly believes that mutual aid is essential for organizations to survive and thrive during crisis.
