In 2021, Let's Continue the Good Stuff from 2020. I am Serious.

As we close out 2020, I often hear a similar sentiment: good riddance! I get it. But while there is certainly no lack of bad news to lament in 2020 (and, I am deeply sorry to say, tragic mourning for some), perhaps we can take a few moments to reflect on some positives:

1. Despite a bumpy political cycle, a peaceful transition of presidential power is underway in America. Regardless of how you feel about the results, we have, overall, maintained our tradition of stable government across elections in the USA. 
2. In response to a pandemic, families, friends and colleagues learned in many new ways what it means to pull together. Thank you to all of you who were part of my support network this year. My family has drawn closer than ever this year—I hope the same is true for others. Thank you, Jessica Hoppe, lawyer, executive, wife, mom, friend.
3. In the true spirit of free markets, entrepreneurs (in America and beyond) reacted to a pandemic with creativity, from work from home solutions to new disinfection businesses and never-before-seen vaccine technologies. How we shop, learn, seek healthcare, communicate and entertain have all changed, and likely will never entirely revert to pre-pandemic norms. Businesses and government policies must adapt accordingly. Properly deployed these changes can improve productivity and quality of life for many of us. I am grateful for the creativity, brilliance and support this year from my partners and colleagues at Converge Government Affairs and my partner Rob Panepinto and other colleagues at ForgeGreen Bio
4. While the issues are by no means resolved, freedom of speech and expression allowed people in this country to call attention to race and equity issues that must be addressed. Although there is no simple solution, I believe they will be addressed in many different ways, largely because the advocates will not be silenced. I am grateful for the dialogue I was able to have with friends on these subjects; I hope we can all be a part of the solutions. It's critical to our free society that we ensure no one's voice is silenced.
5. I have heard words like “sustainability” and “resiliency” in the normal course of business in 2020 more than ever before. When we collectively make caring for our planet a priority, it will unleash tremendous creative, entrepreneurial energy and ensure the environmental legacy future generations deserve. 

Why post this in LinkedIn, a business social network? 2020 felt like chaos, and chaos wreaks havoc on some businesses, while spurring growth for others. Chaos is also stress-inducing. While some of us may be better at compartmentalizing our business and our personal lives, we are whole human beings. The CEO is also a brother, a sister, a friend. The freelance coder is a father, a mother, a neighbor. The VP of Talent is a son, a daughter, or the person you see on zoom in his or her sweatshirt these days. Whatever it is you do for a living, you ARE a living, emotional being and there is no complete, magical work-personal separation, especially when work often takes place in your makeshift home office. As we encounter each other on LinkedIn, I am conscious that we are not just digital resumes, we are people with dreams delivered, hopes dashed, and real-life ups and downs. But we are connected, and we have each other to lean on. After all, that’s really the point of all this, isn’t it? 

I am grateful to all of you who reached out to me this year for business, for advice, or just to get to know one-another. Happy New Year, and let’s connect in 2021 to make great things happen.