Leading myself in corona-times
These corona-times ask for a lot of energy – to consciously modify automatic behaviors, to process emotions, to stay connected and listen on various levels, to hold uncertainty without making compulsive snap decisions or being aggressive and judgmental, or succumbing to overwhelm and just numbing out.
Oh right, these are leadership qualities, says the leadership and organizational design expert, with a wry smile. Touche, Life, you’ve proven your point once again, this time at scale. Bravo.
holding ambiguity and uncertainty takes energy
Like many people, on a personal level, I’m facing indefinite uncertainty on a number of points. I don’t know when I’ll get to see my relatives who live abroad again; I don’t know what I’d do with my child if my partner and I both were to become seriously ill and hospitalized. I was meant to start a new role in April, but in the last week of March I got news that there is an indefinite hiring freeze.
After the initial digestion of reality and a lot of practical adjustments, with a dose of determination, I started practicing things that I know give ballast in a storm – things like mindset, creativity, and connection. These are the things I often help leaders and organizations with. Now I need them for myself, to regroup and pivot, and to be ready and in good shape for what comes next.
acceptance and meaning
Adjusting to life under corona is not a short term thing. I see no sense in “trying to get through this” and wait for “normal” to return, much less expecting the usual productivity - life is happening now, and I believe in accepting reality not resisting it. I want to still live now with quality, meaning and vitality, not with craving, anxiety and resentment. It’s time to accept change on a profound level and dig deeper into what matters. Only then is it possible to shape the future that we want to live in.
Yes, there are days when I feel on top of it, calm and even inspired by possibilities. And other moments I feel utterly disheartened by my inability to help my 6-year-old with a math assignment without a meltdown, or especially sad that I can’t show up in person and comfort people I know who are grieving. But it’s different if I’m resenting and fighting these moments, distracting myself or denying these feelings, or if I accept them with dignity as part of the human condition, learn from them and move through them.
in what ways do I have a choice?
Taking a cue from coaching and design methodology, I prompt myself to ask: what opportunities does the current situation offer?
To me, the big one is to think bigger and feel on a collective level. We are all subject to the conditions the coronavirus provokes. If there was any delusion that we are all interconnected before, now it’s clear.
I think it’s time to create a shared possibility space, grounded in research, data and practical experience – and most importantly the wisdom and empathy that result from paying attention. I’ve found myself seeing how these practices hang together in various models, especially on systems levels, to address things like values, purpose, collaboration, creativity, design, teams and innovation. Drawing on various sources, and interspersed with my own professional experiences, I’d like to share how some dots connect and some practical tools.
One of the opportunities I realize I have now while I’m not working for another organization is to publish my own writing. Si I’ll be taking this time to publish some of my own open-source tools and frameworks, and stories of inspiring leaders, teams and organizations. I’d also love to hear back from people how these things work for you, and what you’d modify or add to how they are documented.