How many times in the pre-Coronavirus world did we all wish that we could slow down our busy working week so that we could invest more time in building stronger relationships with clients, contacts and colleagues? While so much else is out of our control during the nation’s emergency response to the virus, it does present an opportunity to reinvest the time we have all gained from working from home into deepening and bolstering our values-based relationships with colleagues.
Unlike any other time in living memory, companies and colleagues are having to make challenging professional and personal decisions at pace while functioning differently to ensure resilience as we emerge from the lockdown. As we try to remain stable throughout the shockwave that COVID-19 has created, we fully appreciate the richness of human relationships and the extraordinary efforts that people are going to make life easier for others despite these unprecedented circumstances.
Earlier this year, colleagues from across the private and public sectors in the South of England joined forces to promote all that the Central South has to offer. Enabled by Business South, the independent representative of businesses in the region, the city councils in Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester united with Hampshire County Council, Solent LEP, Savills, Blake Morgan, Noviun Architects, Barker Mill Estates, Willmott Dixon, Barton Willmore, Southern Policy Centre, Whitehill & Bordon, Boyle + Summers, Lambert Smith Hampton, Terence O’Rourke and Southampton Airport to fly the flag for the region.
Very early on, partners recognised that we shared tremendous pride and confidence in the Central South region. Our shared values and vision for the region, strengthened existing relationships and smoothed the way for the creation of the Central South brand, which BECG provided creative support with, alongside producing Prosper for the Central South region.
We were due to launch the consortium and encourage investment in the region by attending MIPIM, the world’s largest property event, in March. While the rapid spread of Coronavirus put paid to these plans, it has failed to dilute our commitment to promoting the Central South through our individual organisations and collectively, and we are encouraging like-minded organisations to join us!
As challenging as the lockdown is, it is a welcome reminder of how important relations are. Partners in the Central South will be working closely to build resilience and enable regeneration as we emerge from it. We will continue strengthening and growing relationships and supporting each other throughout the crisis. Investing in this now will pay dividends in the brave new post-virus world when our focus will naturally have to shift to income regeneration but, rest assured, relationships will be enriched as a result.
Follow Central South on Twitter @BizSouth or #centralsouthuk or email info@businesssouth.org.
