COVID 19 – A Chance at Re-Invention
‘This virus is changing the world as we know it’, our CEO recently said during a staff meeting to discuss the way forward while COVID-19 runs rampant. He is, of course, right. It has, in fact, changed the world already and it feels as if we are all actors in the latest Hollywood blockbuster. This new reality of restricted movements, of travel bans and of hysterical fear does not seem real in our ‘free’ and evolved modern-day world.
It is, of course, easy to join the hysteria and panic prevalent everywhere, to complain about the lack of income, to wallow in self-pity and to start bulk-buying, while watching the latest stats almost obsessively. This is, however, not necessary and it, in fact, helps no one. Yes, we need to employ social distancing, work from home while homeschooling and yes, this is extremely hard and stressful, but above all, we need to adapt and we need to re-invent ourselves and our businesses, together. Selfishness has no place in this new world.
This is a time when everyone has a lot of questions and no one really has the answers. Our global community has never experienced anything like this, after all. This time is a chance to stand up, be kind and to adapt and it is our ability to do this which makes us human. It is our human spirit which will enable us to survive this pandemic.
Our world has been disrupted and forced to step back, to take some time off. As a global community we are forced to consider our health and our well-being, and we are forced to consider the effects of our own actions on the community as a whole. We are forced to reflect and to evaluate, instead of simply rushing forward towards the next task.
Considering how greedy and self-absorbed our global village generally is, I do not believe that this is necessarily a bad thing. Times are tough and this year of ‘20-plenty’ has not been as abundant as everyone has hoped, but it has given everyone the opportunity to become better, to become a better human, to become a better parent, to become a better employee and a better employer.
What we need to do now is to make the most of this time and to breathe. We need to enjoy this time with our families (we always complain that we do not get enough, after all), we need to do what we can to the best of our ability, we need to stop panicking and we need to rise up.
Think of your current position in life, of your current position at work and of your business’s position in relation to the rest of the economy and evaluate, think out of the box, be creative and open to new ideas and adapt. Innovate.
In business there are two sayings which I hear all the time: ‘business as usual’ and ‘but we have always done it this way’. Now is not the time to think like this. Now is the time to do the unusual, to be different, to adapt and to survive.
