Ask Marcia - Leadership Q&A - Week of May 15, 2020

Week of May 15, 2020 / From her column in the Silicon Valley Business Journal

Q. It seems that the coronavirus crisis has impacted us for years when it’s only been a couple of months. How are we doing?

A. Since 1949, every May has been observed as Mental Health Awareness Month. This month has been especially stressful with a global health and financial crisis. And it’s local. How are people doing? For the first few weeks, some people froze in fear, hoping it would quickly go away. Others rapidly stepped up to lead shutdowns and collaborate with partners across all boundaries to address medical needs. People scrambled in response. Great things happened (people helped people.) Bad things happened (people lost loved ones, jobs, their normal lives.) 

People are adapting and searching for new solutions. During these times, while people have more fear of the unknown, anxiety, and isolation, there are basic ways people can focus on their own and others’ healthy lives. While people are anxious to go back to work, they also fear for their safety, and others are afraid to go out at all. The fear trigger in the brain is working in overdrive right now. Some people ignore it, hide, it and others cope.  Fear accumulates over time.  It’s necessary to help people reduce their fear. Get people to talk about their concerns. Encourage both adults and children to talk about what they miss. They feel a sense of loss. Talk about it. Don’t fix it. Just listen. Help them focus on what they control. Help people make small decisions. Building trust is an important. Honesty and transparency help. We’re out of balance and struggling for self-motivation. People drop the ball more. Being as productive is a challenge. Leaders share their own stories. They check in often on each person.  The more people feel cared for and that someone just listens, the faster they can adapt.

Q. We won’t go back to the way it was. What are some of the pivots that are here to stay??

A.  Just like we don’t walk through an airport anymore without going through the TSA screening after 9/11, there will be new lessons we learn from the pandemic crisis that will alter our behaviors. Most people are quick learners.  Some will resist learning, but that’s the variation we deal with. Here are a few near-term pivots: 1.) more creativity in social distancing at restaurants; some streets are being closed down to allow restaurants to move more tables outside and spread out. Other restaurants are creating more enclosed dining such as putting shower curtains around tables. 2.) masks will be worn in public places and in tighter transportation settings (planes and subways.). Regular and deep cleaning of shared spaces will become the norm. 3.) Values that had gotten stuffed down during busy lives now are becoming priorities. Time with family or friends, exercise, where money is spent, and communication are all being re-examined. For example, more unpopular food brands like Campbell Soup, Kellogg’s, and Heinz are now the most popular brands because those are the comfort foods and are also more sustainable on the shelves. Our pivots into the future will be continually evolving for many months to come in work, in education, in healthcare.

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Send your questions to Marcia Daszko at md@mdaszko.com.  Call her to discuss your challenges and during this COVID19 crisis.  Keynote speaker and trusted advisor to guiding executive teams through crises and transformations for 25+ years, she is the author of the book “Pivot Disrupt Transform” and co-author of “Turning Ideas Into Impact: Insights from 16 Silicon Valley Consultants.” Invite her to speak (virtually now) and see her resources for you at www.mdaszko.com