Initially there was a high level of uncertainty. There was no script and the guidance was evolving. At times the guidance seemed to change by the hour. Some people were of the mind that the situation was being blown out of proportion, that "It's just the flu, it's not as serious as it is being made out to be, and it certainly isn't going to shut our business down." Like others we planned for the worst and hoped for the best. But at the end of the day, COVID-19, for all of its heartbreak and unanticipated challenges, was transformational for O-AT-KA in terms of employee engagement. I had the unique opportunity to watch our succession plan play out before my eyes as leaders at all levels of the organization routinely demonstrated their trust, faith, and commitment. Our first objective was to make sure our employees were safe. This meant providing the knowledge and resources needed to create a safe work environment. These measures have proven effective still today. There is an expression that says, "Pain builds Character," and this whole experience has been a reminder that you can't truly appreciate your own character or the character of your team until you have experienced the pain. As John Wooden once said, "... your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think of you." It has been a wakeup call, and our team is stronger coming out of COVID-19 than we were heading into it.
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