I fondly recall a cheeky little film on customer service from the 1980s called Remember Me. This short film inspired us all to remember those customers that we might have unwittingly ignored. Customers make decisions one way or another and our indifference to them does not bode well. How does that link to business advise for 2021?

2020 brought us lots to remember including that unwelcomed intruder, COVID-19. As the wounds are assessed and the subsequent learnings mount, I suggest we retain and build on how we communicate with each other in our businesses, and beyond.

As the pandemic arrived in the first quarter 2020, we all used our communication skills to ensure customer needs were somehow served, the supply chains adapted and our staff remained informed and safe. Much of the communication was adrenalin-driven and compliant in nature, checking in with remote workers on Zoom or MS Teams to ensure people weren’t checking out. StatsCan reported that 3.4 million people moved to remote work and remain so today.

I was struck by this recent quote from Lori Beer, JPMorgan Chase and Co.’s Global CIO, “How we interact with our clients and the collaboration tools we’re now using to work remotely really change the dynamics around how we can affectively collaborate in our business… Those are trends that absolutely will continue to accelerate.”

We must assume that changing how we interact with clients and our teams is not a fad. This will require new skills, new tools and perhaps new styles of leadership and coaching. As well it’s important to also ‘Remember Me’ with our families. To ensure we remain healthy and vibrant, and live to serve another day, we must also Remember Me and look after ourselves and those who matter the most in our lives.