This is the time to work out a new ‘normal’

The past months and weeks have proven that none of the plans for this year are becoming a reality. What started out as a just another item in the news, has now become a phenomena that has affected everyone and everything in the whole world. 

Let me start to emphasize the enormous impact this has on all of our lives, and I sympathize with all people that face serious and in many cases even heart breaking consequences.

But it also becomes apparent that the economic environment we used to live in is not anymore the 'granted normal'. Many of the people you work with and for as a manager, just accepted their job as it evolved within the hierarchical structure we have been used to for so many decades.

Travelling to and from work on a daily basis, being stuck in the daily traffic, fulfilling our 40 hour or so workweek, and simply 'enjoy' the rhythm of the daily working life with the odd promotion at given moments in time.

Why? Because we love structure, giving a feeling of being secure and safe.

But this structured life came to a sudden halt. Our life as laid out before with all of its comfort and securities suddenly became totally disrupted.

In the many interactions I had in the past weeks I noticed how quickly people adapt. Obviously, there is this first period of denial, call it grief. But soon after the awareness sunk in, this is the new reality, they are open to alternatives to create a new trusted and safe environment. Some even bring new ideas to the table that you or others never thought of before.

In many countries, having some form of lockdown, there is an explosive use of video/audio conferencing. Despite all the limitations and irritations to perform online sessions with your team and clients, the current environment does not leave many other alternatives.

Any earlier resentment or negativity is set aside and looking at it with the 'glass half full hat' demonstrates this is now a great means... It is efficient and effective once you have overcome its initial technical hurdles and agreed on some basic rules.

So, what does this say? If the circumstances do not create a necessity, why would you change your world? Once stated in the extreme "Companies don't die because what they did was wrong, but because they kept doing it for too long" (In an earlier blog I already challenged your organisational value contribution).

Given this surreal world, never seen before by current working generations, might not end for a while, new initiatives and brilliant ideas will continue to appear.

My advice would be not to fear the unexpected and let it overcome to you, but instead accept what is inevitable and embrace any of the new ideas and initiatives useful to your plans. This could well mean to adapt your plan, translate to new directions of your plan, or even build a plan you have never imagined before.

I believe, this is the only way you gain back control, even in the most worst case scenario.

My biggest fear? Once this surreal world has ended, and hopefully this is sooner than later, we fall back to the 'old normal' and structure of our working live as if it never happened…