Well this is crazy!! Unprecedented in our lifetime, and one hell of a health, social, political and economic challenge! Whilst we’re sure you’ve already received the messages about being resilient, responsive & innovative etc, we just wanted to say one thing…. BE KIND! Everybody is stressed and little acts of kindness and compassion go a long way!
The language being used at the moment is also doing us a disservice. What’s important is not social distancing but rather “physical distancing”. We should be looking for social solidarity. We actually need to make more of an effort socially to stay connected and check-in with others. We need them and they need us. So how can you up the real, direct, interpersonal contact? Professionally, one idea we have had is to stop using the conventional Australian conversation starter of “Hi. How you going?” because it usually gets a “Yeah, good. And you?” with both parties then moving on.
Let’s actually pause and “check-in”. Let’s be deliberate, transparent and share back. If you asked us today, the response, on a micro-level would be “I’m curious to see how virtual schooling goes but am a little suspect”. On a macro level, it would be “I’m feeling scared that so many countries are having to shut down”!
We often say, “There is always a plan”, that plan may be blown out of the water by life and the world at the moment. It just means, respond and start a new direction. Again… And Again… And Again! We know this is not easy as change is one of the most complicated issues humans grapple with. Indeed, that discomfort you are feeling may even be grief. Which means you can approach it like a grieving process.
Another way of facing this is by focusing on the “unexpected upside”. This is a conflict coaching tool we use. What’s the “unexpected upside” of COVID-19? We have experienced things like our 15-year-old son actually spending time with us and communicating, the fact that CO2 emissions have been drastically reduced, the many acts of kindness and local community coming together (street WhatsApp groups, delivering meals to people in isolation and generally looking out for each other).
How we may be able to help you
With things in such flux at the moment we have been wondering how to offer support. So, we have created a virtual opportunity that you, your colleagues and your connections can join for free:
Short sharp 30-minute FREE consulting session: Speed conflict resolution about the new challenges you are facing We know many of you are facing specific employee – human – issues in your workplace. If you would like to speak to us about this please click here and book a time for us to call you. We want to support you and help you work through the issues that are keeping you up at night. This will be on a first-come, first apply basis. So book a time ASAP!
On a more light-hearted note, we thought we’d share this… It just made us laugh. And we can all use a dose of that right now!
Stay safe, healthy and KIND 😊
Zandy and Tony
