COVID-19’s Silver Lining

May 21, 2020

From the time we could listen, we were always told to follow the rules. Depending on an individual’s wiring, some were more rigid than others in adhering to their parents’ and teachers’ rules.

My son, who (like his mother) is not the poster child of rule-following, would always ask why he had to do things at school or at work “the way he was being told,” when he truly had a better way. The answer I would give was, in retrospect, pretty lame: “that’s just the way society does it.”

Life with COVID-19 gives us an opportunity to shatter the rules. As a business owner, my goals haven’t changed: do awesome work, exceed client expectations, make money, and fuel employee career growth and curiosity. But in the age of COVID-19, how we do these things is evolving.

Our company’s workforce, like most, features multiple generations with different needs, interests, motivations and thoughts on creating the most productive workplace. We have always welcomed our team’s contributions and decisions on shaping company culture. But they always had a way of bubbling up to management, and becoming homogenized. In the age of COVID-19, things have changed. Rules have changed. And thoughts on things ranging from work-hours for collaboration, working from home vs. in the office, voice vs. video communications, social team engagement, and more – these ALL have changed with it.

Personally, I have found I am more productive and focused working from home. I am working longer days but I am taking more breaks to exercise, eat well and, most importantly, think beyond a deliverable. When human connections and face-to-face interactions are needed, with client and team meetings, I’ll be there with my PPE.

Otherwise, you can find me at home being a more productive, insightful focused teammate. Same goal. New rules.