Status - the Sine Qua Non in Status Quo
Someday we will read about how the novel coronavirus changed the world. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but of course foresight is better especially when it comes to saving lives or pain, said William Blake. While suffering and sacrifice builds character and resilience, no rational person would want to see another person in pain; the Coronavirus has disrupted life as we know it: forced upon us work from home flexi-schedules, imposed homebased learning systems, more time with family (when all some of us want to do is escape).
In all of this, where do we stand? Where does the “I” stand? A lot of people find themselves at a loss as to where they stand in society, at work, who they are as a person and how to move forward.
It's time to reset, not stand still.
I get it, no one prepared for this. Business isn't tough - it's non-existent. We can't travel, or see loved ones; we can’t even depend on our work to get us through the day. Motivation, productivity seem almost non-existent as well. Just about everything we've prepared for is gone. And that’s all true to a certain extent. But this is life.
From a business point of view, we’ve always known that status quo which rings the death knell for companies that embrace stagnation wholeheartedly - competitors change tactics, customers change vendors, governments change policies across the globe, strikes stop production and natural disasters wreak havoc.
To quote one of my Project Managers, "The only thing in a plan that can't be changed, is that the plan will change". We can't get emotionally locked up right now, and we certainly shouldn't panic.
We need to make the best of what we have - today.
1. Make a pragmatic assessment of your situation and make a plan for what you CAN control
3-6 months - What you see is what you get
Your day today – how was it? Most likely it is to be an ongoing reality for the next quarter at least. Ask yourself if you are where you want to be in both your career and industry. Many people have found themselves in a position they dislike. If that’s you, and you have downtime, now is the time to move! You can, use this opportunity to retrench yourself to where you want to be.
6-12 months - Winter is coming
Whether or not the travel and work restrictions can be removed quickly immediately, the coming 6-12 months will be a challenging time of rebuilding. No matter your industry or position, you will be challenged to reach outside your comfort zone to get things back on track. Be in a position to do that. How you use your time today will determine what you will be able to achieve in the coming year.
3-5 years - Growth and recovery
Economic recovery is happening in earnest and how you have positioned yourself during the dip will determine your outcomes. There will be a shift in many markets; will you be in a position to capitalize on on the shifts, on the skills?
2. Take the time to set yourself up for productivity in WFH:
We have been conditioned to working in offices. They have been designed to let us work without distractions, we have structure in them, a sense of flow and boundaries of “this is work” and we have been conditioned to work in them.
Not so at home, you must be intentional about how and where you do your work. Don't underestimate the impact of environment and choose where you work with care, make sure your family can respect your space. Repetition creates habit so find your "home productivity habits" and enforce them.
3. Properly leveraging digital tools
Do not make a chat group for every work group and call that WFH. Using digital tools is much more than simply pulling people into chat groups and web meetings.
Unmanaged messaging floods people and can contribute to major mistakes & disorganisation. Plan and execute a digital communication protocol for yourself and your teams. That is, managing the what, when, and how, of employees interacting digitally.
Establish clear rules, for how to use media for different types of messages, for example:
- Email- formal decisions, summaries of meetings, and documents.
- Video or audio meetings- digital replacement of face to face meetings
- Information sharing chat groups- simple messages of non-critical tasks, usually a message only type of platform, i.e. WhatsApp, telegram
- Co-working chat groups, project management tools- real time task alignment and co-working, usually linked to a project management platform, ie slack, Monday.com
4. Focus on yourself:
- Health- yoga, meditation, exercise, diet. Wouldn't it be great to finally have the time to get in shape? Oh wait, we do. Burpees with tuck jumps, here we come!
- Skills- there is no barrier to online training and no shortage of coaches ready to take you to the next level.
- Knowledge- online classes and certificates are available in nearly every industry.
Don't just react, evolve!
The physical reality of most businesses is still stuck in the 90's, but the tidal shift to digital was always coming. Millennials and Gen Z grew up with technology, it is our legacy systems (and thinking) that has stalled or prevented a lot of digital transformation. The opportunity to drive this transformation and create a truly flexible, effective work environment is here. A lot of the changes being implemented now, should have been in place already.
We need to think about how we come out the other end of this. While it is not the best case nor will it be easy, the time out of office overcoming this crisis can bring some good in the long run.
Winston Churchill - "Never let a good crisis go to waste" - when life gives you lemons, make lemon sorbet.