(Post 4 of 5 in the “Don’t Say Recovery” Series)
If the first two steps of the healing process, stopping the bleeding and clotting/scabbing, are awkwardly painful and uncomfortable to you, this step will likely feel more natural. The third stage is growth and rebuilding. For most economic development or destination leadership organizations, this is your “normal” world. It’s what you do. It’s why you exist.
If there is an unfortunate component of this stage of the healing process, it is the tendency to jump to solutions before really analyzing the details of the need or opportunity. Place-based organizations are problem solvers and the need to pivot quickly and do SOMETHING often outweighs the waiting needed to understand all the different areas that need SOMETHING done. That is one of the traits that I love so much about this industry is the constant desire to help. It’s the root of hospitality. Growth and rebuilding may require some backtracking and revisions of initial and ongoing response. Aiming, even if it is a delayed reaction can improve and focus the rebuilding efforts. Recognize you can’t screw this one up too badly. SOMETHING done is so much better than nothing done.
Growth and rebuilding pave the way to strengthening.
