How the world has changed in a couple of short years weeks!
Time has both compressed and stood still, don’t you think? The days are blurring together, yet our life of just a month ago seems like a distant memory. I refer to something that happened “last week,” then remember it was only yesterday.
My perspective on other things also seems to be off kilter. At times it seems like I have a laser-sharp focus on what is truly important — connecting with people despite social distancing; making sure we have provisions as we self-isolate in a house of seven; washing my hands — yet I also notice myself fixating on unimportant details (like wishing I could get my hair cut or my nail polish off) or forgetting momentarily that we can’t safely do certain things that we’re accustomed to doing (such as getting in a car with someone to grab milk when we are carefully keeping 6 feet apart).
I am so appreciative of those who are helping us keep our perspective intact during these unfamiliar times. Those who remind us how to avoid spreading germs without spreading fear or panic. Those who use their resources to serve others when folks around them are out of capacity. Those who remind us that this will not last forever. Those who are still going to work to keep things running. Those who make us laugh. Those who remind us to turn off the news and get some sleep. Those who insist on drawing us back into much-needed normalcy. That’s what leadership looks like.
May you lead in whatever ways you can.
And stay well.
P.S.
I released a book in 2019 called Nimble: Off Script but Still on Track. Many times since then, people have commented that although the book is about facilitating meetings that go in unexpected directions, the skills it teaches are highly relevant to many other situations that don’t go as planned. One reader said, “You wrote the book with the right title but the wrong stories inside — it should be about parenting!” Well, we’ve perhaps never needed to be able to pivot quickly and adapt seamlessly to unanticipated events more than we do right now.
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