One Year On...

It is one year on. One year since the pandemic crept into our lives and changed us forever. One year since our first lockdowns; jokes forcing us to smile before they were forwarded to friends and family, songs sang on balconies bringing moments of beauty into quiet Italian streets, people reaching out to help others often gifting their services for free. No matter how restrictive, restraining and confusing this time might be, there is one thing we have all learnt - that we are in this together - and re-thinking, re-imagining, and re-creating everything is our only open road.

And this takes adaptation.

When the tsunami of change swept through our lives, the earth beneath our feet crumbled and ways of working that were frowned upon, just weeks prior, were suddenly standard practice. In this abyss, we learnt how to use the sketch pad of our minds to imagine and create, to harness the energy of our body, and networks so we could take action.

We learnt to innovate.

This became, and will remain, the survival skill of our time.

It always has.

It is one thing to write a book about innovation, it is another to live it as a verb: fully embodied, moment by moment. To practice shifting mindsets from being creative to critical, from being curious to committed and more than anything to step out with courage into the unknown.

 You don’t learn courage from a textbook. 

As waves of disruption knocked our world; where a normal week would be travelling to work with clients, facilitating workshops, giving speeches - in short to be with people in groups - with trial and error, we created something new.

 We climbed the technology mountain finding clues along its rocky path; cameras, lights, green screens, microphones - we stumbled, we fell, we picked ourselves up again. Through late nights and long days, we learnt to watch the sun to know when light was at its best, when we wouldn’t disappear into the void of a virtual background or dis-engage an audience we couldn’t see.

 We sought out and found technologies that would enable group collaboration and learnt how to design in a space where humans couldn’t gather; no more side discussions as we stir milk into coffee or engage in a serendipitous conversation over lunch. Within this space we created, in some ways, richer outputs and actions with certainly a lot less post-it notes and flip chart paper, that promoted safety, trust, and results.

 We learnt, no we are learning, what it means to be a human in this virtual world.

 We are one year on.

 What are you learning?

 What is on your open road?

Natalie and Carl

Learn with Natalie on How to Facilitate and Train in a Virtual World. A skills development programme for facilitators, trainers, educators, and team leaders who want to learn or improve online facilitation skills within the Zoom and Mural environment.

Accelerate your know-how with Carl on How to present from Home like a Pro -Technology Tips for beginners. Designed for presenters, speakers, trainers and facilitators, or anyone who wants to look professional online, Carl will take you through the technology required to enable you to present from Home like a Pro! 

Natalie and Carl are a husband and wife team and Founders of The Entheo Network innovation leadership company.

Natalie is the Author of the Award-Winning Book Yes, You Can Innovate. Discover your Innovation Strengths and Develop your Creative Potential. Download a Free Chapter and learn to IGNITE new ideas. 

She is also a Keynote speaker, facilitator and coach and the inventor of The Six ‘I’s? of Innovation.

Hear Natalie speak on the Innovator’s PURPOSE: How to step into leadership and take courageous action, at Women in Innovation on 9th March, register for free.

Carl is a professional DJ, Virtual Producer and Instructor. Listen to Carl’s live stream Sunday Soul Sessions on Mixcloud every Sunday from 5-7pm (Malaysian Time) +8 hours GMT.