[A note from Tugboat Institute: Please note the author’s postscript at the end of this article, in which he comments on the connection of this topic to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.]

In 2011, when I stepped into my role as President of Maritz Global Events, our company culture had been negatively impacted by the Great Recession. The meetings and events industry generally had been hit hard, and our company was no exception. Focused on doing their jobs and avoiding fallout, employees were hunkered down, and the culture reflected a widespread sense of trepidation.