May 08

Is there a Silver Lining to Covid-19?

The sudden, all-encompassing change driven by COVID 19 has had many tragic consequences but has also brought a different perspective to our professional and personal lives.

 

We have developed New Habits

Without our daily commute we have new morning routines – maybe exercise, meditating, or just sitting down to eat breakfast rather than grabbing something and running

8 weeks ago, less than 30% of us were working virtually, even for a portion of the week.

Because of the lockdown, we now have different interactions with our family or housemates

We have learnt to work and collaborate at a distance from our colleagues, overcoming the inevitable glitches and problems

As we slowly go back to normal, we can see how we take those positive changes and build them into our daily routine

 

We’ve had a crash course in Empathy

Although there are great differences in how easy it is for people to work from home, this situation has been a great leveller – we are all experiencing similar uncertainty and unknowns which helps to break down barriers.

The Zoom window is a great equalizer – we get to see inside our leader’s lives – from kids in the background to a cat walking across the keyboard – they become more human to us.

In this time of uncertainty Leaders are more likely to reach out and check in with employees, with the result that employees can feel more seen, more heard and more understood than in normal times.

 

We have Upskilled – at speed

8 weeks ago, less than 30% of us were working virtually, even for a portion of the week.

We have learnt to work and collaborate at a distance from our colleagues, overcoming the inevitable glitches and problems.

We are all in being stretched out of our comfort zone, so the individual risk and exposure when making mistakes is much lower than in “normal times”

 

We have an opportunity to Reframe

This crisis has brought into focus what is essential in our previously busy lives we have been locked into certain habits and practices through inertia

We can now take the opportunity to look at what we can change in the light of our recent experience and a world that will not snap back to normal any time soon