Although parts of the U.S. are reopening and people are slowly returning to places of business, many companies are still operating remotely and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
The changes in the business environment have been exceedingly challenging for all leaders, and you should feel great about keeping things together as much as you have during the past three months.
Who would have guessed that our already challenging environment, dominated by the impact of COVID-19, would have catapulted to another extraordinary level so quickly?
The protests and demonstrations following the death of George Floyd have consumed our country and overtaken our conversations.
Stunning as it may seem, there are only a few days left in May. Monday is June 1, and for most of us, business as unusual continues.
Rather than continuing to trudge along reacting to the environment, it’s time to take a hard look at what you can do to move forward.
I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t quite feel like Memorial Day weekend is upon us. As the unofficial start to summer, in the past Memorial Day weekends were marked by heavy traffic leaving town on Thursday afternoon extending a three-day weekend into four days of glorious time off.
This year significantly fewer people will be leaving for the weekend. Some parts of the country have increased activities due to reopening guidelines, but many of the larger cities are still limited by sheltering guidelines.
Most of you are still leading remotely with your staff also working remotely, sometimes even with a skeleton crew in your place of work. Although we have become more accustomed to this after two months, it still feels surreal, doesn’t it?
I know you have been working tirelessly to keep everything together at your company. The new rules of work are changing all the time, so you’re reacting as the environment morphs.
Wednesday was National Nurses Day, and I know that you join me in saluting the awesome work that our nurses have been doing on the front lines. They’ve been working dutifully, passionately, and tirelessly in the worst situations imaginable.
I am in awe of them.
What changes would you like to see in your team when you transition from sheltering at home and begin to return to the workplace? This is a great time to rethink higher standards and to articulate those expectations to your staff.
Here are some extremes to observe from the past six weeks or so. When working remotely, have your people:
If you haven’t already done so, it’s time to think about what will be different once we un-shelter and return to the workplace. The one thing we know for sure is that we will not be returning to what we left.
For example, if you have an office design that includes desks or cubicles placed close together, how will you handle social distance issue? Do you have space to move the desks father apart? Or are you thinking about staggering the workforce so that people alternate time in the office with working from home?
Everyone is going through an indescribably rough period with no end in sight. In general, as the weeks go on people seem to be more tense. That tension spreads geometrically when you take it out on your co-workers.
These times are defining for leaders. People will remember you based on how you “show up” now. Leaders will fare better if they follow some basic concepts while the unknowns of the pandemic era continue.
We’ve been coping with the COVID-19 pandemic since January and as time has passed everybody has been dealing with it in different ways.
If you or a family member has suffered from the virus, your perspective is heightened by that experience. Health is first and foremost and most people are doing their part to stay home and be safe.