Why I Hate the Phrase: "New Normal"

"New Normal". No, not the short-lived American TV series, but the oft-mentioned phrase being thrown around by all of your relatives on family Zoom calls recently. The one they use just before they have something negative to say about the future. There are few phrases in the English language that illicit such ire in me as this one. ("Social Distancing" is a close second mainly because people actually mean "physical distancing", but I digress.) I'm not na?ve enough to believe that the COVID-19 pandemic won't change some of how we live and work moving forward, but I'm growing tired of pundits' knee-jerk hot-takes on what the future looks like. Rushing to be a modern Nostradamus, they say with certainty that we'll never go back to the office, we may never eat at a buffet again, and that future generations will only know about these things called handshakes upon discovering the fossilized remains of two businesspeople agreeing over contract terms from way back in 2019 AD. Please don't take away my beloved buffet!

These soothsayers aren't exactly going out on a limb with their predictions that work will continue to trend in favor of people working within earshot of their bedrooms, or that online client meetings will be the new norm. These were already trends for many, and of course recent events have accelerated them. But, to think that years from now that we'll never see our co-workers or clients in the flesh again is extreme. Some jobs require interaction, and human nature being what it is, I can't see selling millions of dollars of software exclusively remotely.

As time goes on and companies experience turnover and new hires, it'll become increasingly more difficult to maintain the unique cultures that differentiate them.

Those who proclaim that companies can hire and continue to run exclusively virtually are being shortsighted. I'm not suggesting that you can't hire people through video calls. However, throughout the past few months, I've seen more into the personal lives of my coworkers—often accidentally—than normal (legal?). But, these are people who I've traveled with, spent time with, talked at length with, and consider friends. These are people who know they can reach out to me for a favor and vice-versa because we've built a bond. As time goes on and companies experience turnover and new hires, it'll become increasingly more difficult to maintain the unique cultures that differentiate them. Anyway, this is a subject for another article, so once again, I digress.

How about this for normal?

Over the past several weeks I've been encouraged by how people have adapted to circumstances. We are inundated daily with negative news and sour predictions about how this virus is changing and will continue to change our lives. But with our attention focused on literal survival, I've seen the positives that can come when people are unleashed to exercise their creativity. If we insist on calling the future the "new normal" (ugh), here are a few that I can get behind if they stick around once COVID-19 is a memory.

Empowering people

I'm not sure why this needs to be said but if you're not hiring people you can trust you should hire different people. One thing that managing teams remotely has reminded me is that trust is now more important than ever. Micromanagers must be struggling mightily right now to maintain their oppressiveness. Without the ability to scrutinize every moment, every action, and every decision (physical distancing has a way of forcing this) managers must more and more empower their people. I've witnessed decisions that normally would've been relegated to an army of people for approval, be made in seconds. And you know what? More often than not—if you're hiring the right people—these decision are great. Remote working doesn't mean complete hands-off management, but empowerment has such positive effects not only in the decisions that are made today, but in people development for the future. Managers, once we're back to the "new normal", don't forget this, continue to empower your great people. Or find new ones who you trust.

...if you empower your people you might not need more than a ten-minute meeting anyway!

10-minute meetings

I had someone who is a corporate executive recently tell me that once his calendar filled up at the start of the pandemic, he started booking meetings for 50 minutes so that he had ten leftover to do things like break for biological moments, grab a glass of water, and say "hi" to his kids. Well, people then starting filling those ten-minute open slots in his calendar. At first resistant to take these meetings and lose out on a much needed trip to the toilet, he began realizing how fruitful these interactions were and how quickly his 50-minute meetings began to disappear. When colleagues knew they only had ten minutes they came prepared, articulated desired outcomes, and only scheduled these meetings for the most important of things. Hopefully once back together, we remember how many meetings didn't need to be meetings at all, and when prepared, how productive we can all be. Oh, and if you empower your people (see a half-scroll above) you might not need more than a ten-minute meeting anyway!

Bye-bye bureaucracy

I mentioned in the open that I'm no stranger to a good buffet. Like many of you, my wife and I love food and frequenting our favorite dining spots in Boston and Providence. I was raised in a very Italian-American city so grew up appreciating gabagool and the perfect al dente pasta. It's not news that the restaurant industry has been hit particularly hard by forced closures, but the ingenuity I've seen from owners has convinced me that the strongest will survive. Which brings me to the next "new normal" that I support: al fresco dining—more specifically the reduction in bureaucracy forced by the current situation.

Any of us who have traveled internationally know that busy streets housing popular dining spots often close to traffic in lieu of outdoor seating. My two favorite Little Italys: Boston's North End and Providence's Federal Hill have been urging legislators for years to allow the summer weekend shutdowns of Hanover Street and Atwells Avenue respectively. (Have you ever driven down Hanover Street on a July Saturday night? Yikes.) It took a global pandemic but finally they have listened. I had the opportunity to safely dine with my wife on the street on Federal Hill last weekend and it was magical. I've seen others in the food industry creatively alter seating, ordering, menus, and service. Because of these unprecedented times, cities and towns have eased regulations, waved fees, and eliminated the need for cumbersome licenses. If you unleash creativity, businesses will provide what the public demands. Heck, I can now get takeout margaritas at my local Mexican restaurant! Like a real adult! Let's keep the red tape short going forward. The future of gastronomy depends on it!

Boston's North End, June 2020. Photo copyright: Matthew J. Conti / MattConti.com

One thing that has always irked me about the practice of seeing your doctor, is having to actually see your doctor.

The doctor will see you now

Recent weeks have proven that medical professionals are often undervalued heroes. Their dedication and unwavering determination have saved countless lives. Because of that focus and the threat of spreading the virus, many non-essential procedures and doctor visits have been put on hold. Only recently have regular preventative visits resumed. One thing that has always irked me about the practice of seeing your doctor, is having to actually see your doctor. Of course in many cases it's essential that a doctor examine you physically to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.

However, take this example: my wife suffers from ulcerative colitis. It's not a fun disease but one she's adapted to and has learned to live with. She takes medicine that helps make the symptoms more bearable but unfortunately the ailment is not curable (yet). This medicine regularly needs to be refilled, it's not addictive, and there are no major side effects. Yet, each time she needs a refill she must make an appointment, wait days until her doctor is available, just so she can go in, tell him the disease still sucks, so that he can write a Rx for another two-month dose. COVID has prevented her from being able to see him in person. After her recent call to his office for a refill request (no one answered so she left a message), magically the pharmacy received it an hour later and notified her via their app that her drugs were ready for pickup. It's time to unleash telemedicine! Maybe (I'm speculating here) he gets paid more to see a patient in person versus over a webcam, but with the forecast of medical professional shortages, he'll certainly be able to fill his days with patients who require his time far more than my wife.

A degree debt-free

"Student loan debt." There's a phrase that's also on my hate list behind the already aforementioned in this article. This trend is an albatross on the backs of recent graduates and continues to get worse. There's many viewpoints on how we got here and what can be done about it, but I'll leave that for people who like to scream at each other on Twitter. As our world closed down, so too did colleges and universities across the globe. Students were sent back to live with mom and dad, forced to learn online. With the notion of returning to school in the fall still foggy, many of these institutions of higher learning are scrambling to justify their exorbitant costs.

Many students are also coming to the realization that just maybe a degree in Bowling Industry Management and Technology isn't worth the ten-of-thousands borrowed from their futures. Some are also realizing that in today's fast-moving world, just maybe they don't need a fancy degree at all. I recently needed some work done at my house. (Before you say anything, I do as much as I can myself but my Kubota skid steer loader is in the shop.) Even if I can actually get someone to come by to look at the job, most never even respond with a quote because they are so overloaded with jobs. Yes, even during a global pandemic and the forecasted impending economic doom, skilled laborers are in high demand. I'm no economist but some supply/demand formula I read about in high school means they're making some good money. I wouldn't mind a "new normal" where we stop telling 18-year-olds that they must get an expensive degree to be successful in life. Either ensure the thousands that you're borrowing will buy you a commensurate degree or go into a trade where there's currently a shortage, enjoy what you do, and earn a good living doing it. By the way, anyone have a skid steer loader I can borrow?

Photo copyright: Penn State University

Take this time to have a look at where your money goes and you might realize you really didn't need that monthly bone box subscription after all.

Money in the bank

I know people who have be furloughed or flat out lost their jobs during this shutdown. I pray that they are able to support themselves and their families during this difficult time and that when things open back up, they return to doing something that makes them happy. Economics drives so much of our livelihoods that I've been thinking a lot about my own finances during this time. I'm a bit of a numbers nerd. (If there's a spreadsheet that can be made for it, I've made it.) As I look over my family's finances since everything shut down in mid-March, unsurprisingly there's been a month-over-month drop in spending. Now, don't get me wrong, when that buffet (scroll up) opens back up, I'm all in. But, it's made me realize that we were probably spending on certain things just because we had always done it. Having the extra money to put towards the kids' college funds, our retirement, and aforementioned home repairs has been an unexpected side effect. Take this time to have a look at where your money goes and you might realize you really didn't need that monthly bone box subscription after all.

Maybe it wasn't so bad to begin with

Besides the thoughts above, ultimately, if the powers that be insist on calling the future the "new normal" I'll continue to cringe and remind them that throughout time, the future was always new—an evolution of the past. And, with so much sadness and angst that this pandemic has wrought upon us, I hope we can reflect on the things in our lives that weren't all that bad to begin with. I hope that we recognize not just the bad, but the good that has come out of this and keep those things going, and that "new normal" doesn't only hold a negative connotation.

Let me know what you think and if there are other unexpected but happy consequences this pandemic created that aren't often talked about that I missed.

I'll see you in a restaurant soon for some gabagool!