WHO'S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD WOLF ?

When you see a headline like that, what is the first thing that comes to your head?

Do you regress into your childhood and reflect on the story of Little Red Riding hood? Do think of a challenging year with so much to contend with by having to work sensibly in line with what seems to be ever-changing COVID-19 restrictions? Alternatively, the big bad wolf might in fact be a reflection of worries and concerns in yourself from early 2020 fear of the unknown, the reluctance to embrace technology, or the feeling of instability, that amazingly has clutched everyone in some way.

The reality is whilst this has been a devastating period for all those affected and those who may have lost loved ones, it has been a time of incredible global change. Everyone has caught up with technology because they have had to, or they get left behind. Whether it is a case of this being their only way to communicate with loved ones or indeed with colleagues and clients, it has become the new norm and it’s not going to revert once everyone’s had the vaccine.

Consider this, had there been an initiative to encourage the world to constructively speak and be more communicative, of course without a global pandemic, at this present moment in time, we would have marveled and been congratulating ourselves on a massive scale for hitting targets. In this case, of course, it has come at a cost, and often regrettably you only appreciate the things when they are taken away.

Conversely, on a positive note, we can all now see what is really achievable by being more communicative, being more organised and embracing what many years ago would have been inconceivable, for a comparatively low price and in many cases (e.g. Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp) doesn't actually cost anything! All this time for the vast majority this type of technology has always been there, but it took a radical change in circumstances for so many to adapt their habits and put their doubts or insecurities to one side.

I am 53 and I started my career in 1987 when at that stage the Internet had not even been thought about. A long-distance call was something you had to ask your immediate supervisor permission to make. I worked in a bank and the most exciting then and instant form of communication was a facsimile! By the way, when did you last send a fax?

Perhaps the big bad wolf is subliminally us getting quickly used to what we and our associates have become through our innate necessity of keeping going and intuitively embracing that adapt or die approach, without realising what just happened! And what did just happen?

I marvel at friends, relatives, work colleagues, and associates' technological survival instinct growing at such a pace because it has had to! So, in March 2020, we were all thrown into a panic spin, not being able to travel, not able to have meetings or any form of face to face contact but having to accept and move at lightning speed because if we didn't, others would. So perhaps the big bad wolf was also fear of loss, fear of the unknown, fear of competition stepping in, and fear of missing out.

Despite our losses, our challenges, the vast majority have grown in technological communicative stature. Many have gone the extra mile in their contributions and influencing the way in which people work. You only have to look at LinkedIn to see how many regular contributors there are who have such a “help out” and value in advance attitude.

We are bigger, stronger, slicker, and more efficient than many of us could ever have imagined and we know whom we can call upon but also mindful of our improved capabilities. With the world about to enter a global vaccination program, we will look back hopefully with pride and reflect on how we coped.

And as for the wolf, it is just a good-looking dog (but do not get too close!) that also instinctively rises through adversity to become bigger and better, hence many aspiring to be the leader of the pack. Maybe I caught your eye with that headline though!