(Editor’s note: This is the second installment in a weekly series on how Cooley Group is managing the COVID-19 pandemic, from the perspective of its CEO. See part 1 here.)
Leading a manufacturing company through this crisis feels like constant whiplash.
Even as I’m jerked from one challenge to the next, I strive to steer the ship straight. In this uncertain time, my key leadership responsibility is keeping the team safe and on-task. With that in mind, no matter what is going on economically, politically and socially, I cannot waver in providing persistent, honest communication with the Cooley team. I remind them [and myself] that this battle will be won through perseverance and agility.
Here is a preview of just some of the action items on Cooley’s weekly agenda [not including the hourly surprises we have grown accustomed to in the time of COVID-19]: apply for additional funding to better support our customers, digitize processes where possible so employees can work productively from home, connect with Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s team to discuss the state’s new mask protocol, source and invest in launderable masks for the entire company, collaborate with customers [and even competitors] to accelerate full-scale production of medical supplies, expand our storage-bladder-solutions product line to include crude-oil storage, conduct product trials for next-generation water-containment solutions to support water shortages in developing countries.
We pivoted employees off other projects, shifting into all-hands-on-deck mode.
First and foremost, I prioritize employee health and safety requirements. I cannot reiterate this enough: Without a healthy team, we cannot operate our business or serve our community. It’s just like those airplane safety announcements: “Put your mask on first before helping your child.” For the prior two weeks, Cooley experimented with safely wearing masks in the factory before implementing face mask guidelines.
With the daily safety tasks completed, I move onto liquidity and cash flows. Like most businesses across the country with fewer than 500 employees, Cooley applied for the Payment Protection Program. Despite completing the application within a day of the submission portal opening, Cooley did not receive funds before the federal funding ran dry. Undeterred, we shifted our efforts to collaborate with the National Association of Manufacturers and lobby representatives in Congress to allocate additional funds.
While pursuing projects that reinforce us financially, Cooley remains dedicated to our social responsibility commitments. We pivoted employees off other projects, shifting into all-hands-on-deck mode to drive hyper-accelerated development, testing and manufacturing of medical gowns, which are rated up to Level 4 [surgical]. This week, first responders in Louisiana, Massachusetts and Rhode Island can access the Cooley medical gowns they desperately need.
As weeks turn into more than a month of disruption, I sense my colleagues’ patience waning. Cooley workers are in overdrive, and social distancing means that team leaders are forced to virtually buoy workplace morale. On this front, we’ve added virtual “happy hours” to our calendars to talk through business and personal challenges amongst our teams. I recommend this for CEOs sensing frustration in their team. We continue to send daily newsletters to all employees, not only reminding them of updated health and safety protocols but also encouraging them to support local charities. Cooley’s purchasing team stepped up to identify vendors for Family Service of Rhode Island to acquire key COVID-19 supplies such as masks and hand sanitizers.
Last week, we focused on the virtue of perseverance as we worked our way through the COVID-19-induced chaos. This week, I am relying on Cooley’s agility to motivate my team to adapt to each new COVID-19 challenge as it arises.
Daniel Dwight is CEO and president of Pawtucket-based Cooley Group.
