Isolated yet More Unified Than Ever - Riding the Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic Together
For the first time in our lives, the societal norms of working, socializing, traveling and just having the innate ability to go about our daily routines have been halted. Our economy, which was firing on all cylinders a few weeks ago has suddenly come up against a wall and many organizations have had to make difficult decisions on good people. It all leaves us with a lingering sensation of being caught in a rip current, fighting to keep our heads above this unavoidable swell we're all facing. Always remember, there is no surviving when you fight against a rip current, one must ease the mind and work with it to make it safely back ashore.
Let’s discuss a few ways to ride this wave and greet our glory back on solid ground.
By honoring our duty to stay home, isolation inevitably kicks in. We are challenged to reflect on our lives in a way that hasn’t been possible for the masses for generations. Let’s use this time to work on personal development. "Personal development" can be a number of things and there is no one answer that is suitable for humanity. To find your answer, you must take the time to look within. What does your mind, body and spirit long for? When sitting in silence, it is easier to truly listen to your feelings. These can be feelings of all types, and hopefully, you're finding the things that provide a sense of fun, vibrancy, creativity and feelings of togetherness.
It’s undeniable. We are in the digital age! What better time for this unfortunate tragedy to occur than for when our trailblazers in Tech have revolutionized our methods of communication. On the drop of a dime, teams across the country have adjusted to working remotely and can still collaborate with one another thanks to now, “life-line” tools such as Zoom, Teams and Slack. Heck, I even had a St. Patty’s Day Zoom Party for my birthday this year! Use these tools and other social platforms like Houseparty, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter creatively for both professional and personal networking. Re-connect with past colleagues, distant family, old friends and people you’d like to know in your extended network and further strengthen your relationships; distance does make the heart grow fonder, but connection is vital to maintain a sense of normalcy.
If you have recently been laid off due to this crisis, there are crusaders that are here with a life vest in these uncertain waters. People are banding together to help find good people new “work homes”. There is an abundance of sharable documents floating around the internet that you can add your name, title and contact details to, and connect with hiring managers looking to fill jobs! These lists share the names of companies looking to hire along with point-of-contact details to connect with if you see an open position listed that you are qualified for.
All events have a window of opportunity and I just felt like sharing my message in the hopes that I will be able to help some of you during these tough times. If you have found yourself out of work and are looking for a life vest, feel free to email me and I would be happy to discuss your career goals and strategies for success with you. If your organization is among those that are hiring and you need help to be sure you are identifying the top-quality talent available, feel free to contact me as well and I can connect you with these rock stars.
I work for People*Strata, a next-gen professional services talent firm that is actively filling open positions in the Marketing/Advertising & AdTech industries. We have been having meaningful conversations with both incredible professionals who have been impacted by this pandemic and also with our current clients and other companies that are determining their way forward. Many leaders are seeking our advice on topics such as how best to message their teams post-reduction, how to talent brand as they engage with the talent community going forward, etc.
Again, it’s so sad that some organizations have had to make some tough choices on really good people. Together, let’s bridge the gap; I can already feel the sand on my toes. Can't you? ??
Awesome Article Raven! And happy belated b-day!
Be prepared and stay ready!!
4 年Correct, you hit the nail on the head. We must stick together, that is the only thing that we can do while our lives are hanging in the wind. We have to find out what we are good at and figure out how that can help the next human being. The internet IS a universe within itself, so we have the tools we always need at our fingertips. The question is, how are you as a person going to use it. How are you going to utilize yourself as a whole and market it to the world? You never know what windows open in the face of unprecedented events. In my case, for example. I am on social media all of the time, and I have many friends from many walks of life. I have a tiny world in the palm of my hand. Oh, baby! How I used my platform of choice was amazing. You would never know how much an isolated 23 yr old furloughed finger twiddler can get done in a day. But I made it a mission to find out. My community needed me, just like the world needs every single one of us. We are the battery that helps this machine we call society go. We are that driving force, the ones that are working right now, and the ones who are not. Unemployed people MAKE GOVERNMENTS MONEY. People who sell drugs, MAKE THE GOVERNMENT MONEY. Everybody plays a part and do not think that you are not essential to anyone. The government's hands are in everybody's pocket. What's my part in all of this? I utilized my social media to connect people and hospitals looking for masks, with the mothers and people in all of my circles who knew they could make them. Wait, they didn't have enough fabric! I connected people with material to people who could sew; things were getting done. I was important because I made sure I wasn't stagnant. I wasn't helping the virus win. I would be just as bad as it. What do you do for fun, can you exercise? Start a class on Facebook; go live as the youths say. Can you meal prep, kids are home from school guys. If you don't have a job, make a job! Use yourself. You might be surprised at how important you are.