Eight Silver Linings I See in a Time of Uncertainty

COVID-19 has shaken our country. Virtually no one remains unaffected – whether you’re staying inside, working from home, helping others, looking for a job or battling the virus itself.

This is a challenging time for everyone – but our history shows that time and time again, Americans rise to the challenge and emerge stronger and smarter after times of crisis.

After 15 years of a commuting marriage every week from Detroit (where my family is) to Washington (where I work), I now have been with my family every night for over two months straight. I have renewed appreciation for and genuinely like my wife. I love putting my kids to bed and sharing the cooking. I know this has been tough on many people living alone, those juggling raising and teaching young children without formal activities, and others with family challenges. Not every day has been champagne and chocolates for me, but as a "glass half-full" guy even during these uncertain times, here are my thoughts on eight silver linings I see for our country.

We’re learning new skills. Whether it’s meeting or learning via video conference, collaborating in real time on shared documents or giving remote presentations, cooking at home, helping others, or becoming more aware of hygiene, we’re all learning new skills that enable us to stay healthier and do many jobs from afar. This ability to adapt rapidly will serve us well as we avoid diseases and learn skills for the jobs of the future.

We’re creating new businesses. To help mitigate the pandemic, we’re developing innovative new approaches to business operations. Delivery services have become more popular, paving the way for a pivot to self-driving cars. We created drive-through testing sites. We’ve redirected the entertainment industry so stars and TV hosts can broadcast from home. Now more than ever, we see innovations emerging out of our need to adjust to “a new normal.”

We’re embracing the American spirit of volunteerism. Americans are stepping up to sew masks or volunteer at hospitals. Companies, including GM and Voxx, are repurposing their manufacturing facilities to make masks, ventilators and other supplies. We’re stepping up to care for our fellow citizens.

We’re reconsidering our personal values. How much do we care about stuff and status? Is helping people and caring for our families a priority for us? The pandemic has forced us to take a look at what we prioritize in our lives – and think hard about what really matters. Many of us are using the time to get healthier with how we take care of our bodies, including nutrition, exercise and sleep.

We’re speeding our digital transformation. Many of us can work remotely. Many of us have children now taking classes remotely. Many companies are planning to shift to flexible hours and telework permanently. In the last two months, PNC’s online transactions have jumped to nearly 75%, where prior to that, only 25% of transactions were online. Had it not been for COVID-19, this transition would likely have taken 10 years. We’ll be better digital citizens because of the work we’re doing now.

We’re living more sustainably. Pre-COVID-19, we debated the Paris Agreement and climate change. Yet within a matter of weeks, we’ve cleansed our planet more than the Paris Agreement envisioned. Researchers in New York found that vehicle carbon monoxide had dropped by almost 50% compared to last year. A European research group estimated 11,000 lives were being saved in one month due to lower air pollution.

We’re embracing telemedicine. Many patients now have doctor appointments from home, easing the load on overcrowded hospitals and helping health care professionals avoid the virus. Some doctors are even coming out of retirement to help patients remotely. My wife, a retina doctor, saw her first patients remotely from our home last week – the patients appreciated the ease and speed of the visit, and that it reduced the chance of COVID-19 exposure. While not all doctor appointments can happen remotely, we’re learning how much we can accomplish at a distance – a lesson that will strengthen health care in rural areas across America.

We’re rethinking our relationship with China. China has a long history of stealing intellectual property, disadvantaging foreign firms, blocking the free flow of information and silencing dissenters. Though some of China’s policies are admirable – such as its commitment to education and technological advancement – the impact of this virus has pushed us to ask tough questions about what we want our relationship with China to be. 

I’m not saying all this to undercut the challenges of this moment or minimize the suffering of those affected by the virus. But as we continue to social distance for the indefinite future, we can try to be grateful, make ourselves better and think about what we want to accomplish and what we, our businesses and our country will look like when the virus is under control. Our leadership at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) agreed early on we would judge ourselves by how we’ve changed and the good we have done. That has led to helping others in need in our community, helping our nation and helping our innovation industry.

We’re learning a lot about business, about leadership, about what it means to care for one another as citizens of this great nation. My hope is we’ll take those lessons to heart and come out on the other side even better because of it.

Do you see other silver linings from COVID-19? Let me know in the comments below.