Employers in the midst of COVID are walking a tightrope between creating a supportive work environment and ensuring work gets done. Chronic uncertainty added to varying risk tolerance levels among staff and perhaps the legacy of precedents set in March/April that are no longer sustainable in October/November are making this a very tricky time. Rigid pandemic safety rules and mission-critical work combine awkwardly with a desire to create employment situations that are both flexible and equitable across teams. Continue reading “Building Culture in COVID”
Sightlines Under Stress
Strategizing in a time of uncertainty is difficult, partly because we often think planning requires some measure of ability to predict what will happen in the future, and right now our crystal ball is very much broken.
I would suggest that while staying aligned with an unpredictable context makes strategic planning challenging, the process is less about clairvoyance and more about conviction.
And here’s where things get tricky right now. Continue reading “Sightlines Under Stress”
Unexpected Lessons in International Cooperation
I wrote a chapter in a book that features the work of 18 authors, 16 in Australia and New Zealand, one in the US and me, the lone Canadian. It was released the day before writing this blog.
The launch has been astonishing. I awoke this morning to this note from one of the co-editors in Australia: Continue reading “Unexpected Lessons in International Cooperation”
Welcome vs. Wanted
If you’ve ever received a backstage pass, you know how fun it can be. You also know how it can induce imposter syndrome in some people (“I just won a contest — I don’t really belong here!”), nonchalance in others (“I’m the sound guy. This is my job.”) and a sense of entitlement in others (“Of course people are fawning all over me. I am a celebrity!”). But then there are those who are grounded in that lovely place of recognizing they have no more or less right to be under those stage lights than anyone else, but they are grateful for the invitation, enjoying the moment and performing at their very best. Continue reading “Welcome vs. Wanted”
Casual Contact
Now that most of us who can switch to online work have done so, some of the implications of this new mostly-digital life are becoming clearer. Two that I’m noticing are feeling particularly insidious, and I’d love to hear how you’re tackling them:
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- The extinction of spontaneous conversations. Whether it’s touching base over your cubicle wall or bumping into people on the sidewalk or catching up with a colleague in a hallway after a meeting, our opportunities for unscheduled chats have dwindled. Who would have thought we’d miss small talk! There are so many social touchpoints that don’t warrant an appointment but add to the richness of our days. This is not only a social loss, but also a hit to our “reconnaissance capacity” at work because we have less of a sense of what’s happening on the street.
- Medium-priority social gatherings in peril. As the weather gets colder and daylight hours shorter, our evening gatherings outdoors feel increasingly precious and precarious. In contexts where distanced socializing is difficult, I hear people saying, “We could meet on Zoom, but do you mind if we don’t?” Even though we have figured out how to translate our social or volunteer commitments to digital ones, spending our work days online means that we don’t necessarily want to do the same in our evenings. Extending our screen time does not feel like a win, and our formal and informal community building can suffer as a result.
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