Lessons Learned During the Covid-19 Pandemic

We have been exiled to our homes for months and that has changed us forever. It has changed our families, communities, businesses and the human spirit. Will handshakes become passé? Will we travel with black lights? Will we even travel? No doubt there has been an ominous dark cloud raining job loss, stress and death upon us. Yet there is also a light shining that includes a desire to take care of and engage with nature and smart innovation for our future in question. 

BUSINESS

• Running a business during a pandemic has been like stumbling down the stairs and landing on your feet. And then repeating that over and over again.
• Serve don’t sell.
• Help don’t hoard.
• Leaders don’t have to be perfect, but they do need to be honest. Remember to be human. Now and always.
• Life insurance salespeople came out of the woodwork.
• I think social media will have a hangover.
• Necessity is the mother of invention. In the promotional products industry, PPE became a massive market. Few even knew what PPE was 2 months ago. Innovative products like the clean key tool and services like “Virtual QuaranTeam Building” were created. (nod to our Drum Team Collective partnership)
• I wish I’d invested in Netflix, Clorox, Charmin, Epic Games, Zoom, …
• I wish I reviewed and turned off pre-Covid scheduled tweets (whoops).
• Telemedicine works.
• Remote work raises big questions. What effect does it have on employee loyalty? What can be done to engage remote workers more fully in their work? What has to be done to assure adherence to an organization's values by everyone? Do effective organization cultures and remote work mix? (hat tip to Harvard Business School for these great questions)
• According to Gallup, 60% of workers want to remain remote. I get it. No commuting and traffic. You don’t have to listen to my weekend stories. PJs are more comfy. More independence. On the flip, you’ve got massive amounts of distraction (hello barking and fridge), no human interaction with your work team and you will find yourself doing work at 11:13PM. We will need to find a balance. The call to action for employers and employees starts with TRUST. 
• I hope empathy will linger in boardrooms. 

FAMILY

• We are tighter as a family but fighting more than ever.  
• Be honest with your family about job loss, isolation, death, mental and physical health and your fridge getting a workout. And talk through the silver linings.
• Silver Linings: more family meals, games and projects together, deeper connections, not having to cart kids to their vibraslap lessons or mountain unicycling competitions.
• Peanut butter is the glue that holds life together. (Comic Relief Link)
• Rules and routines are imperative. [Getting phones from the kids at 10:00 each night is a saving grace.]

• Kids are not very good barbers. (Tyler cut her bangs with toenail clippers because she was bored, and the outcome was … not good.)
• Have a sense of humor or you might not make it.
• Find balance for mind, body and spirit to help you get through. My wife never got a “Teacher Appreciation Day.” (I think she might have transferred both of our kids out of class.)
• Screen time limits were often forgiven. Tech was the only way our kids could connect.
• Children were often challenging and insubordinate with a “this won’t happen to me” attitude. Although not in a high-risk category for the virus, the “Lockdown Generation” will likely be paying for the economic hardship through taxes and interest rates.
• Try not to argue about small stuff or dredge up new conflicts. Grace is the gift that keeps on giving.

• Our dog Floyd, once a fan of walking, threw in the towel more than once.
• Our refrigerator was opened 57 times more daily than before the pandemic.
• Do more of what my mom taught me: “Do all things with love.” Even in anger, there can be love. 

THE HUMAN SPIRIT

• The tagline, “We Are Better Together” was overused but the sentiment is so true. So is the African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
• People created nicknames like, “Megsausted.”
• Many chose not to remain idle. New skills were learned and earned. (Our daughter, Brooke, with best effort, singing: Karaoke app, Smule)
• Inspiration through art exploded everywhere. It appeared in our neighbors’ windows and on community sidewalks. Check this magic out as captured by my friend, Jake: https://vimeo.com/412510348
• Handshakes started in ancient Greece as a way for two people to reveal they weren’t holding a weapon. So, handshakes were created because people were trying to avoid being killed or hurt. Now, handshakes, conceivably, can kill us. We will find old and new ways to physically connect after all of this. I am certain of it.
• I am struggling regarding race relations. Do I speak out or mute myself and listen? Adam Grant suggests that just as sexism is not only a "women's issue," racism is not only a "black issue." In social movements, research shows that when majority groups stay quiet, they inadvertently license the oppression of marginalized groups. Those with privilege often have an easier time getting heard. We all have a responsibility to raise our voices against injustice. This gave me perspective as well: What’s Mine to Do? A Vulnerable Discussion on Race Dynamics for Leaders Who Care.

COMMUNITY

• Nonprofits are resilient. And yet, they need our help. Do what you can – now. Remember what Dr. King said: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”   
• I have been born into white privilege yet I am trying to understand and be a part of decimating racism. It is a virus infecting our country that is more deadly than Covid-19. Our country needs justice, not judgment.
• Equal rights for everyone does not mean fewer rights for you. It’s not cake.
• Individually and collectively, we are all going through the five stages of grief. The quicker we get to acceptance, the better.
• Politics and decisions about our well-being are in conflict. I worry about our children and yet believe they will remember and lead their generation to a better place.
• We witnessed people dig deep and give their lives to the healthcare field. I have also witnessed people dig deep and give to causes anonymously. (I delivered a check, from an anonymous patron, to A Place at The Table for $20,000. The donor realized that there was significant need and this investment was what he was compelled to give.)
• When the pandemic is over, we will seek community connection and partying in the streets together.

• We witnessed the rise of the in-vogue mask in the United States. Unfortunately, a lot was lost behind it. 

MUSIC

• On Spotify, KidzBop and Bob Marley listens were up. The Chain Smokers and 50 Cent listens were down.

• Live music was reimagined as curbside and drive-in concerts.
• People will pay real money to go to virtual nightclubs and listen to DJs via Zoom.
• There were music festivals with sick stage-dives in Minecraft!
• Speaking of dives, deep dives into my album collection was a gift of nostalgic pleasure. Thanks, Pour House Music Hall and Record Shop!
• Musicians treated fans as long-lost friends, sharing their bedrooms, mistakes and meaningful stories.

PERSONAL

• I pick my nose less.
• I realize I rely on lip-reading to an extent.

• Unapologetically, I watched a lot of movies. I finished Ozark and came up with a new name for the sassy, captivating badass, Ruth Langmore: RuthLESS LangMORE.
• The last time I shook a hand was on 3/13/20 at A Place at The Table. Thank you and apologies, Mike Vaggalis. 
• With sheer happiness, I’ve met most of my neighbors who have been outside for exercise, yard work and fresh air. 

A paradox exists that we all must be feeling. Physical connection has been throttled and yet, through digital access and effort, there seems to be more connection. We are making it work. Moving ahead, I hope we learn to better balance the digital and the physical. I hope that the “common enemy” (Pandemic) we have faced will make us less polarized and more connected. I pray we are better prepared to manage the next crisis, as my mom says, without boundaries and with love. To do all things with love.

Be well,

Danny