Opportunities Beyond Obstacles

Every cloud has a silver lining – Petra Špačková’s motto, and more thoughts about her quarantine times during Corona virus crisis.

Special circumstances require special solutions – and those solutions would not be created with ordinary thinking. As everything else in life generally, these special circumstances shall be passed by, but in the meantime our thinking is being stretched to dig deep into our potential in creative thinking and problem solving. Petra Špačková, Fortaco’s Operative Purchaser in Holíč, Slovakia, is a professional, who is working at the frontline of business to keep operations going. Communicating with vendors and production, she is securing that all parts needed in the manufacturing process are being purchased just on-time.

Fortaco operations have been safe and solid during the Corona crisis this spring thanks to all hardworking and flexible members in our team, like Petra. At the moment working means for her spending the days in the solitude of her home office. “In the beginning it was hard to imagine a different daily routine, even though I did understand the seriousness of the situation”. Like for many, at first it was obvious to see only the negative sides, and the change didn’t come without doubts.

“It’s difficult to deal with someone without seeing face to face. On top of that I’m also communicating quite often with people whom I’ve never met before.” Naturally, there were a lot of questions occurring in her head, and not all the answers were totally clear; what can be expected from virtual suppliers; are our network agreements the same as personal agreements?

When the dust was settled, Petra started to pay attention to the advantages of this special situation. Thanks to the advanced information technologies we’re able to stay in contact without the physical presence. “There is no need to meet people personally, in most cases a considerable amount of time is being saved – and also a huge cost”. Even though she was worried the circumstances would affect people’s communication skills, it proved out to be that connections were still made, and people were able to carry on and follow the path towards a common goal.

We are not always able to change situations around us, but luckily, we can always decide, how we respond to them. When a crisis occurs, there are also opportunities to be found. ”I have said to myself, it’s a new period in my job and I should take it as an opportunity for my personal development.” Staying resilient and calm, these are the key factors when making progress through the crisis. And we all have our own way forward when facing hardships. “I´ve discovered the benefits of yoga thanks to my social networks in free time”.

“Viva information technologies – technologies against business crises”, Petra sums up.