I recently read an article about how the pandemic “leveled the playing field” for innovation. Small businesses took the opportunity to switch their beer and wine production to hand sanitizer, which grew their margins exponentially, restaurants were able to create space for customer “grocery shopping” experiences, and some have even called the pandemic an accelerant for the pace of social and technological change serving as ‘a great equalizer.’ 

Shortly after reading this article, I had a sit down with this week’s guest, Oussama Mezoui, the CEO of Penny Appeal USA, who started off our conversation with, “This is a great leveler. We as leaders can’t pretend we have ever been through a pandemic before. There is no tool kit we can google on how to lead through a pandemic.”

It is true, there has been no guidebook, no business blueprint on surviving and thriving in a global pandemic, however, in my experience there has been a new wave of leadership community. Vulnerability has replaced scarcity and conversations like the one I had with Oussama more valuable than gold. 

I am grateful for this chat and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. You can expect to learn:

How the pandemic allows you to reflect and test values
The importance of questioning your assumptions 
How to grow in your leadership skills 

Thank you, Oussama for your time! Part one is now live.