Turning the page on the pandemic - reflections as we move past this unprecedented year

A year ago this week, I was excitedly awaiting my March 12 birthday and the plans I had made to entertain friends for Jesus Christ Superstar at Playhouse Square - while I had a preview of the show on March 11 with a smile across my face that said I had no idea what was coming tomorrow. We began to feel some sort of storm brewing with this talk of coronavirus, but it was the year 2020 in the United States which clearly gave us a false sense of security. I mean, we have the best healthcare in the world and haven’t been brought to our knees by a pandemic in 100 years, so its severity had to be exaggerated – right? As a board member of Playhouse Square, I was hearing rumblings that Governor DeWine might shut the state down—including our theatres. Not before my birthday, though… right?

Wrong. The pandemic was declared by the WHO on March 11, 2020, with the shutdown beginning on my 55th birthday. It was to be a special day, as it reflected my successful navigation of a 20+ year gauntlet as a partner of PwC to become 100 percent vested for retirement – a career milestone. While I remember being shocked that Playhouse Square went dark for my birthday performance, there is little else I remember clearly from that blur of a day other than the dinner I was able to have with my friends, as my favorite restaurant got a day’s reprieve before it too was shut down. 

This week, I spent some time reflecting on this past year, trying to put myself back in the shoes of my 54-year-old self. Here are just a few of my thoughts.

If you had told me then that it wouldn’t just be my birthday show that was canceled, but rather every single future show for over a year, I would have said you were crazy.

If you had told me that it wouldn’t just be two weeks that I would not get to work in my downtown office, but that I would never work there again, I would have wagered whatever you wanted against that.

If you had told me this Zoom thing that I had never heard of would completely replace live meetings for work, school, and virtually all social gatherings, I would have said it could never come to that.

If you had told me my career with PwC, of which I expected to have a few years remaining, would have only months left, I would have said it was impossible.

If you had told me there would be both quarantines and curfews put in place that would bring society to a grinding halt for months, I would have said that could never happen in the United States.

If you had told me that during the coming months, we would see a level of social unrest that we hadn’t seen since I was a very young child in the 60’s, I would have said, God I hope not.

If you had said we would encounter what was nothing short of an attempt to overthrow our democratic election due in part to lies, distrust, and hate putting our entire democracy at risk, I would have said that could never happen in our country.

If you had told me that our US Capital would be stormed by domestic terrorists and that their behavior would not be universally rejected, I would have been (and ultimately was) sick to my stomach.

On the other hand, if I told you within that year I would receive a vaccination shot against the virus that ultimately killed over a half million Americans, I wouldn’t have thought that was possible either.

Yet all of that, and so much more did happen, all within the last twelve months. It was incredible, and as was said so many times, unprecedented.

So, what did this past year teach me about life and leadership? The lessons learned are likely innumerable, but I will leave you with five words, and what they mean to me right now as I approach my next birthday:

B - Balance – I don’t believe I am alone when I say that the pandemic has created a new equilibrium for our daily lives. Many of us have worked primarily at home the past year, many juggled the responsibility of work with children at home requiring significant attention, and work travel was discontinued for many where travel was routine. We have eaten meals at home with family, and have spent more time focused on the simple things in our world. Many of us allowed ourselves to develop or expand hobbies or make progress on projects at home that were often on the back burner. And many have sought to look for and find gratefulness amidst their challenges. I hope that as we emerge from the pandemic, that we don’t lose the new “balance” that it has allowed many of us to create. Equally as important will be for leaders in all aspects of life to appreciate that this dynamic has shifted for our workforce, and created a new and likely permanent work/life balance.

R - Relationships – This past year helped me truly understand which relationships were important in my life, including those who were part of my geographically-close “quaren-team” group of friends, as well as those living far away, but whom video conferencing allowed to be closer than I ever realized they could be. I enjoyed my opportunity to golf nearly every Saturday with three close friends last Spring when almost nothing else away from one’s house was possible. I equally enjoyed my “socially-distanced Saturday dinners” with a group of nearby friends who decided to consider ourselves an extended family during quarantine. Similarly, my long-distance relationships with many friends were enhanced through Zoom calls, which helped all of us remain in control of our lives and sanity. Amongst our friends and our co-workers, I think we need to stay focused on all of our mental health, as this year has taken a toll on everyone, and we aren’t out of the woods yet. I am permanently grateful to those friends who helped me navigate this past year – it took a village – even if a “socially-distanced” one.

A - Agility – We were forced to evolve in so many ways at an amazing pace this past year. Technology adoption in so many industries such as medicine, banking, and even retail shopping has been incredible and, in my view, has changed the way consumers make decisions forever. Those who have the foresight to ask how to build on the change that has taken place will be the winners here. There is an old saying “never waste a good crisis” – and I don’t think that has ever been more relevant than right now. Look forward as leaders, build upon the change – the world as we knew it before 2020 is gone forever.

V - Values – Never have I felt such a desperate need for common values. Perhaps it was the stress of the quarantine, perhaps more time than normal to watch one’s news channel of choice, possibly frustration on both the left and on the right that has been building unchecked for years; whatever the causes, we have never been more divided as a country in my lifetime. Simple values such as trust, honesty, integrity, and compassion have never been more important. Let’s find our way back to living the “golden rule,” remembering how to listen to opposing viewpoints and putting ourselves in each other’s shoes. We all have experienced relationships challenged in this past year, and in my view, the toxic political environment is heavily to blame. The question now is how we engage, as the anxiety and stress we have all faced this past year has been intense, and often not fully-known by others.

O - Optimism – The final word I want to highlight is optimism. I think there is a real chance that in a few months we will be living in the Roaring 20’s (21st-century style!). Yes, we have a host of national debt, and still too many unemployed and underemployed, but I see a pent-up level of demand on the horizon for human interaction like we haven’t felt in years. I can’t wait to return to the theatre and to travel on my own terms and I know those days are coming. The challenge that business leaders are likely to face is balancing their workers’ need for rejuvenation with the need for them to work, as the demand for their products and/or services return. People are stressed and tired coming out of this and will need the chance to refresh, and finding the right restoration here will be very important. 

Bravo! That is the one word I leave you all with. Congratulations to all of us who are making our way back from the significant challenges of this past year and getting ready to turn this unprecedented page. If we made it through this – together, there is nothing we can’t handle.