23 reflections of the last 60 days in lockdown.

Reflection #8

Just like stress in little doses, uncertainty can be helpful. It prompts us to think out of the box, deliver creative solutions, it breaks down barriers and reinforces teamwork when everyone is faced with the same uncertain scenario. 

If left unchecked and unaddressed, uncertainty can harm a person, a team and the organisation's psyche. COVID-19 virus forced the entire #travel industry to come to an agonising halt. For us at Oaky, a lions share of our customers had temporarily ceased operations. This left us bewildered and anxious. Progressively each day, the uncertainty of not knowing what to expect of and from work was unsettling.

Our founders addressed our key concerns, by first inquiring about them, then taking each of these head-on in a #townhallmeeting. The uncertainties were addressed and we all had a sense of #clarity. It did take a few days before there was a noticeable shift in the team's morale. There was almost a new renewed energy and mindset I could sense within the teams, as we collaborated like never before to deliver some amazing outcomes.

How did you deal with #uncertainty in your #organisation? 

Reflection #7

Have you ever been in an unfound stressful situation with your #team, having an unknown outcome staring at you? But you banded together, backed each other up and came out victorious! Undeniably, everyone has gone through this at least once.

COVID-19 placed us all in a multi-dimensional and unfound situation. For my team at Oaky, it was an emotional roller coaster. We stared the lockdown period, with a lot of #uncertainty about our daily tasks/role. So we worked on multiple projects to help bolster our #customersuccess efforts for when things get back to normal.

Even though we've worked with each other for a long time already. We went through a condensed cycle of forming, storming, norming and performing. This period, helped us learn where our #strenghts and #weaknesses lay. How we can complement each other. It forced us to live by a few mantras - be open, be honest, be accessible, have clarity on what and why you are doing what you are doing. Going through this pressure cooker period with the team has helped us bond better with each other. We're now an even stronger team, ready for any #challenge.

How did your team perform during this period?

Reflection #6

No one ever rode a cycle like a boss at attempt 1. It took a few bruised knees before you could confidently set the streets on fire. #Failures are the precursor to learning. 

In March, my team and I were looking at a dauntingly long list of projects to work on, projects we believed we could do during this downtime to help the company in the future. We went from #customersuccess mode to #projectmanagement mode. None of us really being well versed with this vocation. Within the team, we all were juggling between 5-8 projects at any given time. 

Within the first few weeks itself, we all came to a consensus that we failing at high volume project management. I took feedback from the team as to what was working and not. Made changes in the way we managing the projects. Had clear outcomes defined, key milestones and regular check-ins to ensure we all were collectively working towards our goals. 

We all learnt on how to deal with projects a little bit better than we could have back in March. I personally learnt that clarity, awareness, a sense of ease & openness within a team are prerequisites for high performance. 

What failures did you have during this period? 

Reflection #5

Professionally, I've once had the rug under my feet pulled away! The company went #bankrupt from one day to another without any warning. I can tell you, the feeling of going to work and not knowing what to do or what to expect is absolutely terrifying. But you got to somehow pull through.

After the declaration of the pandemic, global #travel was completely grounded. Hotels closed down, airline companies grounded almost their entire fleets, people we knew in the #hospitality world being #furloughed, it was an eerie sense of déjà vu that was creeping up on me.

For my #customersuccess team at Oaky, we went from working at a blazing pace to an agonising almost crawling stop. None of us had encountered a situation that collectively affected all of us, in the way COVID-19 was.

Financially, the company was stable. So the idea was simple. Rally the troops, gather in a huddle and brainstorm about things we as a team could be doing at that moment. Things that will help the team and the company #thrive whenever things got back to "normal".

I am happy to report, this unplanned downtime was the best thing that happened to the team in a while.

What were the things you worked on during this period?

Reflection #4

At work, you only see the work-side of your colleague. You rarely get a glimpse of their personal life. We also rarely consider the fact that things outside of work could be impacting their work performance.

We found each other in this unplanned, uninvited yet eye-opening situation where you had a front-row view into your colleague's personal life. How? We all were invited into each other's houses via several voice/video calls throughout the day. I acutely became aware of most of my peers and teammates personal situation. A holistic view of them as a person! 

Even though we all try our best to not let personal matters impact our work demeanour. These were special conditions. I could understand why someone may be having an off day. Baby keeping them up all night, annoying flatmates, family members back home being unwell, kids to parent and teach while working, having simultaneous calls with your partner due to the lack of a "calling/meeting room". I have a deeper appreciation for everyone who despite all personal struggles, kept showing up every day and knocking it out of the park!

You guys rock! 

What unique insights did you learn about your colleague?

Reflection #3

Ever had a day, where a small yet important thing keeps failing you, repeatedly? And you're nearing a meltdown? This was me dealing with my internet connect during the lockdown. 

Most of our "stable" internet connections during this period faced intermittent outages, especially during work hours. I quickly grew tired of all the frozen screens, colleagues dropping out of calls, voices being garbled!

Some research suggests during the COVID-19 period internet usage has increased between 50-70% worldwide. Service providers probably never planned for such a dramatic spike in usage, I wish they did. Would have saved me some stress points. I do feel for the customer support teams of these providers dealing with all the irate customers.

In my state of frustration, I realised that we've probably taken such small things as a stable internet connection for granted. Just having access at all during these times was enough. The internet was a glue that kept all of us bound together and connected during these crazy times. I do sincerely hope that internet providers are better prepared for similar scenarios. 

How did you deal with internet outages?

Reflection #2

Communicating clearly and effectively in normal circumstances in itself is an art, science and a challenge. Given the context of being new to working remotely full time and a shared having a feeling of “the world is going implode” made ongoing communication a challenge. 

1. Overwhelmed: What would be a simple 2-minute face to face conversation, now turned into an epic back and forth on Slack. To tackle this, you’d call the person. But of course, every other person preferred a different tool to call/chat. It was hard to remember everyone's preferences! After about a week of constantly, Slacking, video calling a few hours a day, I was hit with the realization that will be the norm for the next few weeks. It was tough to digest that basic communication could become such a chore and left me with a sense of resentment. 
2. Infrastructure induced frustration: If having 5 apps to message/call wasn't frustrating enough. People dropping off or getting frozen on calls was the next big annoyance. Not sure if it was the internet to blame or the poor laptops that could not manage the heavy requirements of these apps. Yes, technology helped me communicate with colleagues, but not efficiently! 
3. Nonverbal communication: Usually a good indicator of how a person reacts to your communication, was now almost absent! Making it really hard to judge how the person on the other end was receiving your communication! Given everyone's emotional frame of mind, it was important to make communication easy, clear, empathetic, actionable and received as intended. And this with every piece of communication!

Thus, a combination of technology issue, sheer volume of communication, hyper attention to every single communication was tiring. At the end of the day, I wanted to not utter a single word. But, I did; with my partner face to face without any interruptions! This was such a joy to have. But also lead me to think, how have people living by themselves dealt with this challenge. For me, a small thing that would help going forward is to have a single communication platform that handles text, voice, video, group communication that is low on machine and internet resources. Recommendations welcome. Besides this, the constant drive to ensure clarity and empathy in my communication has now become more engrained, thus effortless.

What were your communication challenges?

Reflection #1

I have never been a big fan of working remotely, especially from home for an extended period. I have always preferred and strived to keep both places separate. A tough challenge in the modern workday scenario I agree. Simultaneously, I was always intrigued by how so many organizations are fully remote, and how their workforce thrives in this setup. I always wanted to dip a toe in the pond. How would it be to work “remote” for 5 days a week? Would team dynamics and performance change? 

So when the Dutch government enforced a “lockdown”, I was extremely excited at this uninvited opportunity of working from home for an extended period. For the first few days, it was simply amazing! No commute time, straight off from your morning rituals to your work desk and you’re all set for the day. You had access to all your homely creature comforts at an arm’s length. Productivity numbers were better than ever!

But soon, this perspective changed. Dining tables are not meant to be work desk, at the end of the day, I always struggled with a few aches here and there. There was a constant battle for bandwidth. Constantly muting-unmuting during calls, because your partner simultaneously has one too. Too frequent visits to the pantry. Missing things from my daily routine did unsettle me a bit. The uncertainty about pretty much everything! I could see the stress and anxiety building up among colleagues and peers. All that initial excitement was dying day by day. I wondered, when would things come back to normal? I could also feel I was losing my productivity edge constantly trying to process and manage the situation we were in. 

I do believe I was able to deliver quality and quantity work, over the last few weeks while working fully remote. Personally, I do think I would function best in a hybrid model. Which is why I am super happy that the restrictions have been lifted, and we can work from the office again. Starting a few weeks ago, I work one day/week from the office, and I am going to build it up to full time.

Your thoughts?

Other reflections:

Coming soon