Pivot for Progress

Email newsletter - April 23, 2020

Into this pandemic for some months around the world and across the U.S., people are either quickly adjusting or still struggling with the disruption. No one can predict exactly when we will be post-pandemic. That will vary widely depending on population density and ramp-up times for education, businesses, etc.

We can take time to think about, “What is important today and in the future?” We can pivot today, at home and in organizations! We can make significant pivots that will help us make a difference and not get stuck in victim thinking. 

As we go through changes many people have never experienced, we need to start with the positives in our lives. We can understand our concerns and address fears, but we can focus on what we can control. 

The following concepts can help us find our control during the pandemic:

SENSE AND RESPOND

In just a blink, lives turned upside down around the globe. Those who quickly became aware (sensed) of the threats and acted (responded), locally and globally, may best get through the pandemic or any crisis. There’s so much variation dealing with the coronavirus. For people who already work from home, there may be little adjustment. But for those who work from home and are now surrounded by children who need to be home schooled, a spouse who also needs to work from home, and a challenge of one person safely going to get groceries, life is now faced with uncertainty. 

Uncertainty is a temporary condition. It is also driven by the fear of the unknown. Call it out, name it, talk about it. By talking about fears and concerns, they can begin to dissipate because you’re processing them. Secondly, you don’t need to get stuck in the unknown. Start forward thinking and discussing what you do know. That will give you more positive feelings and feelings of control.

What can you control in your life today?

UNDERSTANDING VARIATION

Some people have lost jobs and have a lot of time at home. Businesses have closed. Some companies are quickly hiring people to stock shelves. Healthcare workers are working on little sleep and frantically trying to save lives. 

There’s variation in everything. Now the variation is wide, the extremes severe. What stress one person has is not the same as someone else, be it emotional, physical, or financial. Listening and trying to understand is essential now. And it takes patience. 

How can you be creative and see new possibilities?

FOCUS AND PRIORITIZE

This “humanitarian crisis,” as it was referred to by David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs means focusing on the care of people first: family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, communities, staff, and employees. 

In our work, it is also critically important to choose a few priorities (2-4, not 10+). Build teams around these few priorities and focus. Put your energy and resources on a few priorities. Otherwise you’ll deplete your energy and resources and accomplish little. 

What are your priorities?  Where do you need to focus?

PREDICTABILITY

People are yearning for balance, for the “new normal,” (latest buzzword?) for some certainty. People have to adapt, adjust, and ease into new routines. But the new routines won’t be the permanent routines. This tornado has hit some areas, but it isn’t done howling and spinning yet. We’ll continue adapting because we must. The impact on relationships, goals, special occasions, the economy, education, etc. will create different and new systems that we can’t currently envision. People who focus, prioritize on what’s important, and adapt will do well. 

There will not be a “new normal.” 

There will be a transformation—something we cannot imagine now.

What can you predict? What can you imagine? 

What new opportunities do you see? What new deeper relationships will evolve?

CONTROL

The world has violently been hit with this pandemic, to varying degrees. From families to the education and healthcare system to the workplace to the economy and to the military, every sector has felt some impact. All of these dots, all of us are connected. All one human, global system! We’re feeling the pandemic! We want it to go away, to get our lives back the way they were. We want control. When we have control, we don’t feel anxious and stressed.

What concerns do you have now that you can let go? 

Where do you feel joy in your power? 

Find your joy, and you’ll find some power. If you want it to be stronger, pivot.

Make the progress you want to see.