A few ideas to help you prepare for 2021

You’ve probably heard the question, and maybe asked it yourself. When will life get back to “normal?”  

The sad and simple truth is that our previous normal won’t return anytime soon. We need to face the future without knowing the answer to any number of key questions: what will happen to the economy, when there will be an effective vaccine for the coronavirus, and how our new world will affect the way we live, work and connect with others.  

It’s never easy to face uncertainty. But in times like these, my experience has shown me that the best approach is to do as much as possible to build a future for ourselves. This is not easy, no, but it is possible. Even in this environment, we can lead our teams to reach our key strategic outcomes—and stay sane and healthy in the process. Here are a few ways I believe we can do this—even with persistent ambiguity.

Take care of yourself

I’ll admit I was knocked off balance when we shifted to our virtual workplaces. A colleague told me, “Today, we’re doing more than working at home, we’re actually living at work.” That made sense to me. There have been days when I’ve been “on” all the time. I look up and realize it’s 8:30 p.m. (what?!), and I haven’t even stepped outside my house. This is not sustainable.

I decided to go back to my “old’ routine of getting up every morning around 5:30 a.m., reflecting on the day, working out by riding my Peloton, then getting ready for what’s ahead. Mid-day, I try to distract myself by reading, walking, or calling a friend for non-work related topics. And, I read blogs from the tech industry to keep up on trends.

Help your teams take care of themselves

Of course, you need to realize you’re not the only one who has a hard time finding balance. I’ve encouraged every member of my team to focus on their own physical and mental health.

With so many Americans working regularly from home, forty percent of respondents say they “have experienced burnout during the pandemic. ” And 42 percent say their “stress levels are currently high or very high.” Again, this is unsustainable for anyone and everyone. As mentioned, I’ve tried to break this cycle by modeling a different behavior and encouraging new ways of working.   

For example, we can foster environments in which team members are able to establish “office hours” that work best for them. This requires some flexibility, perhaps allowing work early in the morning, or late at night or, for some, on weekends. Sure, it must align with delivering on your mission. But even as you retain accountability, flexible office hours can increase productivity. People need the freedom to disconnect from work in healthy ways. I also believe your future of increasing employee engagement, and retaining top talent, hangs in the balance. 

On the personal front, I try to connect with many employees who are not my direct reports. I don’t use any kind of script, I just want to learn from them what we can do better to maintain the culture and work well together.

Take care of your organization’s future

I have something specific in mind here. The economic downturn has disproportionately impacted women and people of color. At the same time, our customers expect us to advance racial and gender equity by recruiting workforces that mirror their diversity. Right now, this gives us an extraordinary opportunity to attract greater diversity of talent to our organizations. It’s time we can expand our candidate pools. This is a historic moment, and it’s time to do more than talk.

We all have different backgrounds, personalities, and aspirations, and aligning those toward a common goal is a constant effort. I always ask my network for introductions to great people in the areas that matter to Northwestern Mutual.

Do something different

Things have changed. It’s time for us to do the same. I’ve found that for me and my team, it’s an ideal time to build relationships outside of our normal routines. Today, it can be just as easy to build rapport with people who are not on our teams as with people who are. For many of us, it doesn’t matter where we sit in the office – because we’re at home! I get it; this takes time and effort. But I’ve found it’s worth it to grab the opportunity to build relationships with people I don’t know. More often than not, I’ve learned something that has helped me better advance our team’s mission. 

I understand there is nothing comprehensive about this list. But these are concrete steps I’m taking, and I’m urging my team to take, in a time that seems daunting for all. These steps are helping us stay fresh, vary our routines, and yes, become a better and stronger team. I hope they help you, and I’d love to hear your examples of how you’re reaching these—and other—positive goals.