It’s December 2019, and you’ve just been given a crystal ball. As you look into the future, what do you do? Buy toilet paper in bulk? Invest in hand sanitizer stock? Squeeze in one last vacation before the world shuts down?
Believe it or not, it’s been five years since we were on the cusp of a global pandemic. We’re older, and hopefully, a little wiser. In this holiday season of reflection, I’ve been asking myself, “What would I have wanted to know then? What would I have done differently?” As I share my list with you, I hope it sparks inspiration as you set your own goals for the next year and beyond.
Nothing Can Replace a Face-to-Face Connection
Zoom, Facetime, Microsoft Team – these are all valuable tools, but as we learned during the pandemic, they’re no substitute for the real thing. Face-to-face interactions build trust and camaraderie and are better for our mental health. I think of digital communication as “fast food” for our brains. It’s quick and easy, but it is the in-person interactions that truly nourish our relationships with others. At AlignOrg Solutions, we believe that being in the same room with our clients helps us foster deeper relationships, gain a richer understanding of company culture and collaborate more effectively.
This year, dedicate a little extra time to shaking hands (or fist bumping) with clients, telling your employees in person how much you appreciate them, and making that dinner with friends actually happen. You’ll be happier, healthier, and more successful for it.
Prepare to Pivot
“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach. It’s the end you’re after.” – Tony Robbins
One of the silver linings of the pandemic is that it forced us to get creative. Business leaders everywhere had to make changes fast, leading to an explosion of new services and seamless customer interactions. A few years ago, I would have laughed if you told me I’d soon go to a restaurant, scan a virtual menu, pay with the tap of a card (no cash accepted) and then schedule a driver to take me home. Now that’s just another Friday night.
Our challenge now is to maintain that innovative spirit and constant readiness to evolve. It’s a good time to ask ourselves if we still have the ability to pivot. As a leader, are you fostering an environment where flexibility and creativity are a way of life, or are you waiting for the next crisis to come along to be the catalyst of change?
We’re More Alike Than We Realize
Remember Cat Lawyer, the Texas attorney who gave us a much-needed laugh when he couldn’t turn off the cat filter during a virtual court hearing? On some level, we could all relate. By that point in the pandemic, most of us had experienced a work-from-home blunder or two as we tried to navigate new technology.
One of the few good things to come out of Covid-19 is that it helped us to recognize our common humanity. Together, we worried about loved ones, grieved the loss of normal life and cheered on first responders. We realized that regardless of job title or location, we’re more alike than different.
That understanding fosters empathy, which is one of the keys to building a strong organizational culture. In our recent webinar, best-selling author Stephen M.R. Covey shared that businesses are more successful when leaders focus on sincere care and collaboration.
“When people know that you care and feel that you care, it inspires them,” Covey said, adding that inspired employees are 125% more productive than those who are “merely satisfied.” That’s a statistic that’s good for business, good for our employees and worth remembering as we work to shape company culture.
Mental Health Is As Important As Physical Health
As isolation, stress and anxiety surged during the pandemic, it became evident that taking care of our mental health is just as critical as maintaining our physical health. It’s a lesson that still holds true today, especially as we navigate a working world where we are always connected by phone, email and text.
Resolve in 2025 to make time for the things that foster good mental health. Unplug, spend time outdoors, and prioritize connecting with others, then consider ways to help your employees do the same. Can you implement initiatives or policies to support your team’s emotional well-being? It could be as simple as finding new ways to recognize employee contributions or creating a culture where employees know they have the freedom to log off and truly enjoy their time out of the office.
A Lot of Life Is Just Noise. Focus on the Meaningful.
Remember those first few months of the pandemic? It’s true that we all missed important occasions, but we also had a reprieve from the constant onslaught of errands, activities, sporting events and business travel. Now that life is back in full swing, it’s worth asking ourselves if we’re making time for what matters most. Before you start filling your 2025 calendar, take a good look at what should stay and what can be replaced with more meaningful activities. This concept applies to our personal lives just as much as our professional lives.
In 2020, my colleague Reed Deshler wrote about the silver linings we’d experienced in an otherwise very challenging year. I think his words hold true today.
“We have witnessed many people dealing with difficult situations, such as losing loved ones, not having jobs, and being treated poorly within society. As you watch people deal with these obstacles, you start to realize that the most important things in life are how we treat people and our relationships with the people who are closest to us.
Look at all the things we do in our organizations, everything we do to make money, all the activities we pursue to keep the world normal — the way we thought of “normal” before 2020. All those actions needed to be grounded in what we value and care about most. That may be a relationship, our faith, a cause, or a purpose. We all have something that gives our lives meaning.”
Looking Forward
I still feel a twinge of sadness when I find an old mask in the pocket of a coat or hear the phrase “social distancing.” As the years roll on, however, I’m going to make an effort to keep these hard-earned lessons from 2020 in the forefront of mind. I hope you will, too. As the first half of this decade ends, I’d like to send you my heartfelt wishes for a healthy, happy, prosperous new year and beyond.