Career management and outplacement provider Katherine Wiid comments:
When something doesn’t go as planned, the important step is to move from being the victim to taking action. Think about the things that we can control, and those that we can’t.
What shape is your organisation currently in?
You might have employees on furlough or be making redundancies as a result of COVID-19 and the cuts businesses are having to make. And perhaps that’s meant stepping up to make important decisions and cover multiple roles.
It’s not forever. Coronavirus will pass, and things might not ever go back to ‘normal’… but is that really such a bad thing?
Take a moment to think about how your current situation is making you feel. Whether you’re under pressure, over stretched, feeling lost, panicked, emotional or uncertain about the future. Whatever you’re feeling, you’re not alone. The coronavirus pandemic is affecting everyone and every business in some way or another.
What elements and emotions can you control, and steer in the direction you wish, during these shaky times?
One fantastic example is Captain Tom. He steered his zimmer frame round his garden 100 times just before his 100th birthday, and in the process raised more than £32 million for the NHS. What an incredible achievement. How long do you think Captain Tom sat in his armchair feeling down and lonely, before getting up and deciding to do something positive about it? And now he’s getting knighted! What an amazing thing to have done. The outpouring of support made his activity even more meaningful and a beacon of hope for all. If you haven’t already, you can read more about this inspiring chap here.
Coronavirus hasn’t just brought us scary headlines and uncertainty.
As organisations, it’s allowed us to be better set up for remote and digital working. It has enforced technological upgrades and innovation. It’s forced us all to learn how to work more efficiently, from any location. And to be more flexible about working hours and how to get the best out of our employees.
As a planet, it’s allowed a chance for our air quality to increase, and for pollution levels to reduce dramatically.
As individuals, it’s pushed us out of our comfort zones and forced us to adapt. It’s given us more time for home life, and less time spent travelling to work and meetings. It’s forced us to reevaluate what’s important (and what’s not) and where or how we might like to spend our time.
What’s your 2020 story going to be? Is this extraordinary year going to define you and your organisation, or are you going to take control and define it? Captain Tom was certainly not going to let his 99th year be defined by the coronavirus!
It might be a time for creative and/or personal growth - whether that’s for you or for your employees. Achievement triggers more achievement, so encourage positive activity!
If you or your employees could use this time for personal development, feel free to share my personal development scale and tips which I’ve published on LinkedIn here.
It’s important during these times of uncertainty that we move ourselves from being a victim to being part of the solution, as an active participant. So instead of waiting for something to happen, think about what you or your organisation can do in the next few weeks and months.
Your role today is not the same as it will be next month, or next year. There will be lasting effects of the coronavirus on us as individuals and as organisations, and it’s almost impossible to predict what these might be. Everything changes, and if you define it through stretching yourself and seeing what it brings, rather than what it takes away, you will lead yourself and others onto greater things.
Our action today informs the path we take tomorrow. Don’t waste a second!