In The Eye of COVID's 2nd Wave: My 2020 Global Travel Journey

The French Riviera. Just a few steps away from world famous Avenue Jean-Mèdecin, I step out of my Airbnb. On my way to a meeting, I breathe deeply. The sky truly seems bluer here. 

Within 24 hours of my arrival a few days ago, President Macron announced a country- wide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. It hasn't sunk in yet that I have only 1 day to enjoy Nice without house-arrest type restrictions. The entire country will be locked down. We will be required to carry an attestation form to go out for food, for work (if remote work isn't possible). We may go to the pharmacy and participate in 1 hour of exercise outdoors, I think. Schools, universities, hospitals(of course) are open; bars, restaurants, gyms, theaters, malls, non-essential shops are closed. There is a long list on the internet of all the requirements as well as a precise definition of "non- essentials", so for now, I will enjoy the moment. 

I've always wanted to be here.

Gleaming windows decorated by beautifully hand drawn gold/white letters showcase delectable sweet treats at the patisserie on the next corner. Delighted, I round the corner quickly to take a look.

The air changes. Military Police are everywhere. Hundreds, at least. 

Stern expressionless faces, massive machine guns point straight into the air. People fill the streets, waiting anxiously behind taped barriers. Police or other officials in non military uniforms point briskly to passers by to back away. Urgent words spoken in French convey the universal language of danger. But what happened? What are they saying? I should call my appointment and perhaps try to learn French, later. Google translate won't help in this chaos. I'll skip the patisserie for now, as I will most certainly be late.

I'm no storm chaser nor extreme thrillseeker who seeks out a rush from defying nature. I'm not a scientist nor a medical professional who may have an in-depth understanding of COVID-19 or any other disease. Though healthy living helps healing in almost every adverse medical scenario, I certainly don't believe that a good diet and decent fitness level provides total immunity for anyone from this illness, including me.

I'm a business strategist, speaker and mentor. Primarily, my team and I research market conditions, analyze business opportunities, goals, resources, SWOT; we design and implement expansion strategies. We train leaders. We realign organizations for growth. We take calculated risks.

As part of our own internal growth strategy, for the third successive year, I left the US for Europe in mid-August, to set up strategic partnerships in different parts of the world. The seriousness of this global pandemic is not lost on me. I knew this year would likely deliver our greatest business challenges to date (and they were already numerous), but encouraging news out of Europe- Italy, Germany, France, specifically -of downward trending COVID cases signaled a turn in the right direction. Spain and Portugal were still struggling but I would only pass through Portugal en route to the UK, so it should all be fine.

Of course, I wear a mask, bring my own gloves, sanitizers, even cleaning fluid to wipe down contact surfaces, hotel rooms and Airbnbs. I'm careful. I'm a Strategist. The art of pivoting is my life. 

It all made sense until now. Autumn brings gorgeous color in some places; the opportunity to comfortably wear leather pants and boots; cooler months for comfortable exercise and restful sleep. It also brought something else this year- the dreaded second wave of Covid-19.

But what is happening now? Someone slams into my arm, pushing hard to get past me as a deepening concern swirls all around. The police gesture more forcefully now, speaking rapidly in French. My pace quickens to a mild jog in the direction they are pointing.

"Terrorist attack", the gentleman to my left calmly says, and I freeze in fear.

Immobilized on a street in France, I hear her voice again. Blood curdling screams followed by muttering; grief or terror ( I can't tell) in her eyes. She drops to the floor. The brisk, congenial workday buzz in our 6 months old White Plains, NY office rapidly shifts. "Turn on the TV, Turn on the TV, she finally shouts through tears. In my mind, it was Sept. 11, 2001, again

White Plains is 35 miles or a 45 minute drive from the towers that fell on that catastrophic day. Today, my Airbnb is 0.342 miles or a 5 minute walk to historic Basilique Notre Dame- where a 27 year old man, now captured by French police, attacked multiple churchgoers; beheading one, killing 2 others while shouting phrases police describe as consistent with terror attacks.

Do the benefits outweigh the risks of global business travel, right now? Is the world more dangerous or am I simply too close to the center? 

As several countries announce "second wave" lockdowns until Dec 1, 2020 or longer, it is clear that beyond the horrible sickness itself leading to possible death, the measures to curtail it are yielding physical/mental/economic/ emotional struggles that leaders at all levels must carefully manage within ourselves first, then for people who depend on us. 

This weekend was a rough one of flashbacks, deep reflection and self-care. Ultimately, I leaned on esteemed leaders who I respect. #AriannaHuffington says "Sleep more", so I slept; #BreneBrown says "Vulnerability is not weakness" so I reached out to a leader I greatly admire for help. #TDJakes says "Eagles Fly Where Other Birds Cannot"#SimonSinek says, "Start With Why?". So I did what all successful business leaders do when managing through times of significant external threats to our livelihoods and lifestyles: revisit the plan, test its foundation, adjust benchmarks as necessary, reexamine our own perspective and motivation. #StartWithWhy

Today, I will make regularly scheduled individual calls to listen, coach, update and simply share with my teammembers. Then tomorrow, I leave this beautiful country to continue along my business journey. 

We do things differently at L Global. We focus on our WHY? Our up-close vantage point worldwide allows for a unique perspective when we design business expansion strategies for your clients. In a year where countries are experiencing repeat lock downs and travel restrictions change almost daily, we decided that while we're still able to do so, we will connect more wherever we travel and share more from thought leaders around the world, WITH YOU.

Follow us here, call us if you have business questions or if you're just curious. www.lbrand.global. We would love to hear from you.

Most importantly, tomorrow is election day in America. Regardless of the outcome, in the aftermath please be prepared to check in on your teammates' emotional wellbeing this week and if you're able, please VOTE!