What should we be doing now to be fully ready for post-COVID19?

On April 16, 2020, I gave a virtual talk as an invited Guest Speaker at Tecnológico de Monterrey University one of the most prestigious schools in Mexico. I enjoyed my time talking to the Intercultural Negotiation and Communication class on the influence of culture on negotiations. I navigated through different aspects of negotiations to a quantification of national cultures, concluding by offering practical insights on how culture actually influences the outcome of negotiations. The students raised interesting questions on the topic; however, the most interesting one was raised by my host when she asked: Are there any other tips you would like to share with students facing COVID19, on how we can thrive in the coming years and what they should be working on for positive leadership skills so they can come out of this lockdown stronger and even more effective communicators?

This question was a bit of a shock! I was not expecting it, as it was not related to the topic yet it was at the heart of what we are living through now and going through every day, namely, COVID19 and its impacts. Before sharing my answer, let me share a few thoughts with you.

Fight-or-Flee response is a term that is used when someone faces a physical danger of psychological threat, where the situation someone is experiencing will cause undue stress, and where the body's sympathetic nervous system is activated due to the sudden release of hormones. Uncontrolled stress has many negative impacts on human well-being, and health psychologists are finding new ways to support people who are combating stress, so they can live healthier, and more productive lives. The bad news, is that the current situation that we are all in is giving us no other option than to fight whether we want to or not. All of a sudden each and every one of us are part of the war on COVID19 and our actions are both counted and noted. Is this “fight” response less stressful than the flee response? It is an interesting question. 

VUCA is a concept that was originated by students at the U.S. Army War College to describe the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity of the world after the Cold War ended. It became one of the widely used concepts of leadership, business management and strategy. It also was the catchall for “Hey, it’s crazy out there!” The fight response that we all found ourselves in now also happened to be in a VUCA and misleading environment, which increases the level of stress that comes with it. 

Fighting in an VUCA environment has two options, being either a positive or a passive fighter. The latter judges and criticizes whatever the former group does. Regardless whether what is done by the second group is good or bad, the second group in order to fight in a VUCA environment has to leave their comfort zones, where they feel safe and in control.

COVID19 changed our lifestyles a time to work even harder. This is the time to sow seed for the success and harvest later and work harder. Many ‘should’s’ and ‘must’s’ will be on the table based on previous achievements and a certain level of persistent growth. Academic models demonstrate that leaving a comfort zone for successful people means shooting toward the highest level presented by the Growth Zone where one finds purpose, lives dreams, sets goals and concur in objectives. However, I will challenge if it works for all of us. It might work perfectly in a normal environment, but I would question how effective it can be in a VUCA and misleading environment like the COVID19 environment we are in now, and whether it covered all areas that people need to look at outside the comfort zone. 

It is confirmed that COVID19 will be shaping the world including how we live now and in the future. Threats, risks, and opportunities are all talked about, and many experts are analyzing the economic, social, financial, technological and environment impacts of this circumstance. It is with no doubt THE TIME for innovation and re-engineering business models. Yet, the changes are very rapid and dynamic. An end date for society’s lockdown and measures enforced by governments to fight COVID19 can neither be forecast or definitely set right now. Regardless of how much we try to know what will happen, we are all facing a scary UNKNOWN.

In my opinion, at times of VUCA, patience is main virtue to be lived, and leaving the comfort zone, also means allowing the self to sit back, relax, and reflect. Take care of your soul, your body, and personal relationships. Live this period as it exists and without over-stressing. Do as much as you can and don’t worry about what you cannot do. That alone is never an easy thing to do and requires courage and strength as well as determination.

Returning to the question raised during my talk at the Mexican University, my answer in short was that COVID19 has united the world and taught us that what we see is not always the truth on the international landscape. Also, when you look from a personal perspective, we didn’t praise the importance of our lives the way we should have. As students and professionals, our priorities were always set based on our achievement orientation and ambition whether at school or in our careers. Our days were consumed by feeling stressed and overloaded with worrying about the many aspects of our professional lives and what was going to happen in the future. Too often we forgot about embracing the other important things in our lives and personal relationships. The COVID19 appeared and gave us the time we needed to sit, reflect, re-calculate, and shift the focus of our life’s compass to our families and personal relationships. Yes, COVID19 is going to have huge impact on the economy, redefining international and business games. Yet right now I can’t influence much, so it lets me worry about myself and being, health, family, friends, and hobbies that I have long forgotten. So re-discover yourself. Taking leadership today to care for yourself, your personal life and loved ones will then help you bounce back and fly even higher once this lockdown is over. The world will be different post-COVID19, and for professionals and students alike, the dream jobs not might be as we have imagined.

At the same time, these times cannot be taken as an excuse for inaction and laziness. Do as much as you can and don’t worry about what you cannot do. We are all sharing the responsibility in our battle with COVID19, yet, we are not all the same in our endurance and capabilities. Stretching the comfort zone by adding the ability to rest the key for having clearer vision and sharper reflection.