Go Back to “Normal”?

Through this period of crisis, I have noticed a common thread among my clients and among the businesses that I interact with in my personal life.  Even those people who are still working in demanding business environments are becoming aware of something. 

Many are still working very hard to service their customers with reduced staff, reduced hours, social distancing, etc. Even while rushing around they often will pause, just for a short additional moment, to interact personally with their customers. 

Many others are now working remotely; they are taking note of how their environment (working from home vs. in the office) is affecting them.  They find it less stressful with fewer interruptions than they would typically experience, allowing them to focus and be more productive.  And they are finding, when interacting virtually, their typically busy meetings are often beginning with a slower and more personal check-in about others’ well-being.  And they like it.

Even with all the current constraints, many things are going well.  So do we really want to go back to normal?  Those” normal”, fast paced, high stress, long commute, deadline driven, pressure cooker business environments?  Will companies learn any lessons from this period or will their priority be getting things “back to normal”?   Will they take the positive learnings from this time and incorporate them into their work cultures? 

We repeatedly hear that ‘everything will change now’.  Really?  I worry that no real changes will take place in the work cultures and many people will suffer a serious “culture shock” when they get thrown back into those toxic environments.  I pray that the “leaders” realize part of their job is to create an empowering environment for their people to work in, thrive, and be successful.

#ItsYourTimeToLead #BackToNormal #ToxicCulture #Covid19