Our leaders could learn a lesson or two from the resilience of print

Printweek editor Darryl Danielli
Printweek editor Darryl Danielli

I know we’re all supposed to be getting used to the ‘new normal’, but seriously we’re eight months into this pandemic and I’m starting to wonder if anything will ever be normal – new or otherwise.

Different rules for different nations, different tiers within the said nations, different support packages within the different tiers which potentially also vary by industry. Then there’s changes, albeit welcome, to the support schemes days before they go live and the detail of said new support schemes, where the devil usually resides, rarely made available until afterwards.

Few would claim that business is ever easy, but right now just understanding the rules of engagement would be a welcome relief. And that’s before we even start to consider the implications of a potentially messy exit from the EU.

At least you know the government has your back though and would never berate business for, say, not being suitably prepared when it can’t even detail exactly what they should prepare for.

Hell in a handcart, maybe?

And not just any handcart, but one that changes direction more frequently than a cornered cat.

But, regardless all of the challenges, significant numbers of print businesses continue to invest in new technology, pivot their operations, hunt down M&A opportunities or simply and admirably support their customers and their teams to the best of their abilities.

And that’s likely because they have a singular plan, an adaptable plan with the flexibility to deal with infamous known unknowns and the unknown unknowns.

Despite this though, many good businesses will no doubt still sadly buckle under the continued economic strain in the coming months, but even more importantly many won’t, perhaps because they have a plan that they stick to.

It would just be nice if our lords and masters followed their example occasionally.