Accelerate July 2021 Magazine

STAYING STILL IS NOT AN OPTION JEFF HOFFMAN Principal, Cushman & Wakefield | Boerke, Past Chair, Alliance Board of Directors One of the best business podcasts that I have listened to over the course of the pandemic was the Masters of Scale - Reid Hoffman interview with Airbnb CEO, Brian Chesky, on March 15, 2021. Airbnb started 2020 as a venture capital darling, destined for a potential record-breaking IPO. Then COVID-19 changed the world. Airbnb’s business abruptly shut down, literally overnight. Chesky and his team reacted swiftly. As he noted, when faced with a crisis, staying still is not an option. “A crisis is an opportunity to do less than what is expected of you, what is expected of you, or more than what is expected of you. A crisis is a stage, and it is a moment to demonstrate your values. Culture is what you do in your darkest hours.” Fast forward to December 9, 2020 and Airbnb successfully launched its IPO and is now valued at over $100 billion dollars. As an association that brings businesses together, the Waukesha County Business Alliance was staring deep into the abyss when the Wisconsin Safer at Home order was placed into effect on March 25, 2020. Live events canceled, work from home policies instituted and schools shut down. How could the Alliance possibly sustain the level of community impact that has become the expectation of its members? Staying still was not an option. As the Alliance Board of Directors worked with Suzanne Kelley and her team to re-create the COVID operating budget, the multitude of “what if?” scenarios continued to multiply. While debating “what if?” scenarios can be healthy for an organization, it can also lead to decision paralysis and time delays. Staying still was not an option. The mission and values of the Alliance were front and center in guiding the path forward and retaining the team was priority number one. We didn’t know if the impacts of COVID were going to last two months or two years, but we did know that our members were going to need the services of the Alliance now more than ever. The team was also going to lead the organization through a transformation that would set the stage for the next level of driving economic growth throughout Waukesha County. As part of the transformation, the Alliance rebalanced deliverables into three critical value propositions: Advocacy, Talent Development and Business Growth & Engagement. All three areas overlap into our most pressing challenge as a business community: developing, recruiting and retaining a workforce that will allow our businesses the opportunity to continue to invest in our communities. The Board of Directors is extremely grateful for the efforts of the Alliance team over the past 16 months. They lived the values of the association and unquestionably delivered more than what was expected of them. The best is yet to come, and there is a great deal of action forthcoming surrounding the three pillars. As we continue to pursue making Waukesha County the best place to do business staying still is not an option. • Headquarters: 262 662.5551 13890 Bishops Dr., Ste. 100 Brookfield, WI 53005 pschwabe.com Design-Build Design-Assist Pre-Construction Construction Remodels National Brand Programs WAUKESHA COUNTY BUSINESS ALLIANCE, INC. | WAUKESHA.ORG 10