A New View on 2020, Part II

Last week I challenged you and me, to act intentionally – to reframe what we experienced in 2020 – to allow the pain, disappointment and constraints to be teachable and motivating moments. Specifically, I encouraged all of us to leverage the Personal Disruption Framework? from the S Curve of Learning? in this re-evaluation process.

This week, we continue the journey, reflecting on guardrails #2, #3 and #4.

Guardrail #2: Play to Your Distinctive Strengths

At some point, most of us have completed a personality assessment, had a 360° review, or taken a personality quiz. Even with numerous tools and assessments at our disposal, recognizing our own strengths can be challenging. This part of our makeup is so reflexive, so automatic, that we are often blind to our own greatest strengths. But in a crisis, these attributes can leap to the surface, becoming more obvious. 

When you look back at 2020, can you identify areas where you played to your distinctive strengths? They likely helped you in specific ways. Additionally, because of the new challenges that we all faced faced - new realities at work, children being home-schooled, attending to the mental heal of you or your family, missing the traditional milestones that mark a year, or dealing with grief - you also likely began to develop new skills or strengths that were previously not required.

Guardrail #3: Embrace Constraints

How did you embrace constraints? How did each constraint become a tool of creation?

Basic human interaction, at the grocery store, at the coffee shop, at church, and at work, was a given in our lives – until it wasn’t. People with whom we interacted face-to-face regularly suddenly became two-dimensional faces on a screen. The small talk, the chance encounters, the informal gatherings and the celebrations were gone. Managers had to quickly figure out how to manage their teams remotely.

Pam Rauch, VP of External Affairs and Economic Development at Florida Power & Light Company, took advantage of the changes. When I asked her how she has embraced her constraints, she responded, “Because of the struggles, I have taken the time to connect with my 50-member team in a more personal way. I pick up the phone and check-in for no specific reason with each one of them often. I have learned so much more about their work and a lot more about each individual. A complete gift!”

Guardrail #4: Battle Entitlement

Sometimes when we think, “Things shouldn’t be like this!” or “I shouldn’t be treated this way!” it’s for legitimate reasons. But, if we are honest, often the complaint isn’t the result of critical thinking, it is one born of ego. We think we are due smooth sailing, that things should just go our way. This sense of entitlement is damaging and left unchecked, it will undoubtedly stunt our growth.

So, the question is, how did you battle entitlement in 2020?

Businesses, schools, non-profits, governments, faith organizations, you name it—everyone had to make decisions quickly and adapt rapidly to a fluid situation when the pandemic hit. There was a lot of discussion and uncertainty – many questions had to be addressed. Sometimes things worked, other times they did not. However, all of it – all failures and successes - taught us incredibly valuable lessons that should not be lost or minimized to be unique to the pandemic.

I encourage you to reflect on a time over the past year when you let go of entitlement and in doing so, further developed your resilience muscle. Know that the resistance we faced in the past, and will most certainly face in the future, are tools of creation – helping to make us stronger.

What strengths did you discover or uncover this past year? How has that strength allowed you and your organization to play where others were not?

How have you used your constraints for good? How has your resilience increased this year because you focused on what is, rather than what should be? How has this benefitted your team and your organization?

As you go through this exercise you will see how you and your teams responded in unexpected ways – displaying new strengths and abilities. Now, it’s time to turn what you learned, the wisdom and insight gained, into a fuel for growth for you and your organization.

Next week we will look at Accelerants 5, 6, and 7.