Breathe & Retool

Soon after the onset of COVID-19, many organisations across the world, shifted operations to supply products that suddenly came into critically high demand as a result of the pandemic. Fashion, and retail companies, such as H&M, Hanesbrands, and Nordstrom, General Motors and Japanese giant Sharp, shifted operational focus to producing masks and other Personal Protective Equipment. Britain’s Royal Mint began producing visors for medical staff. Right here in the Caribbean, Distilleries in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) – specifically in Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines – shifted from alcohol production to producing and supplying hand sanitisers.

This sort of shifting of business of main focus is referred to as “retooling”. Online dictionary – Lexico.com explains the term as the means to “Adapt or alter (someone or something) to make them more useful or suitable.” COVID-19 has shown that the need for retooling can pounce unannounced upon the entire world, but also as we’re perhaps painfully seeing, is that it can knock demandingly on individuals’ doors as well.

Generally, healthy organisations have capital and resources to retool quickly in response to suddenly changing demands. But individuals often have fewer resources to do so and can very easily find themselves in a conundrum, as many have during this COVID-19 era – I’ve lost my job, it’s all I know, so what do I do now? What can YOU do?

Here are some tips to help put you the individual on the path towards retooling:

1. Think of YOU – Everyone has these things: • Something you like (or are passionate about) • Something you can do well (at least better than others – even if a few persons) • Something that you have been practising

2. Now do this – WRITE THEM DOWN! Seeing things on paper makes them clearer in your mind’s eye and allows you to envision possibilities better;

3. Do some INVESTIGATION: Ask friends, successful or knowledgeable persons; hit the internet if you are able to. Search for success stories in the areas you like, enjoy or can do. Write down ideas that come to your mind as to how you can use what you have;

4. Again with friends and/or online – RESEARCH current or future needs for your skills/talents. With your research begin to intentionally craft ideas or make a plan for how you can use what you have to meet a real need;

5. Get the PAPER – You can find certification for just about anything online today. Get that certification! Don’t have the finances? Start with a free course and when you earn enough finances – pay for an upgrade to become officially certified. Check out Community Colleges and Skills Training institutions near you for training opportunities that you probably didn’t know existed;

6. Then, move in – This sometimes can happen before or in tandem with Step 5, depending on what field you are focusing on. However, the key here is to actually begin. Look for opportunities to make a start – or re-start. No successful story is an overnight one but had a starting point to bring them to that successful outcome.

7. Ask for help – Ask someone who has had a success story for guidance. Ask someone who has access to resources to point you to some. Send a message to Rezource Houze to get help with your retooling adventure.

I hope this is helpful in some way. If not:

WE'RE REZOURCE HOUZE - "TAKE WHAT YOU WANT, SAY WHAT YOU NEED, WE'LL SEE HOW WE CAN HELP!"