Reflections in crisis

“Do you think we are in a crisis?”

The answer came through the lens of a man who was born into the depression, knew what it was like not to have food on the table, survived polio, knew the impact of rationing on the home front, and from someone who had earned his wings as a paratrooper (with a couple of night jumps under his belt) — I think it’s safe to say a unique perspective by today’s standards.

His answer was ultimately, “No”.

There was an explanation that he’d never experienced anything like this before, and that not being able to get to his doctor’s appointments, unable to check in with the boys, unable to get ready for the upcoming golf season, and not wander to the store without concern of infection, was starting to weigh on him. A surreal situation that made it easy to loose track of time and difficult to pull away from the endless COVID 19 news. It was not a crisis from his perspective but then again something far from normal — something insidious that was draining both physically and mentally. Ultimately this question offers an insight into personal context and perspective because it’s very true to say front line healthcare workers or a family wrestling with the economic reality of a mortgage that’s due at the end of the month are very much dealing with a crisis.

This is an academic question that scratches at how we perceive the situation, are prepared for the situation, and how we are dealing with the situation. Covid 19 will follow the path of all infectious agents as it makes its way through the population, and as a community, we’ll work hard to change the trajectory of that curve by social distancing, good hygiene practices, and self isolation. Our actions are a direct effort to save lives and prevent our institutions from becoming overwhelmed — and are also a direct reflection of how we are handling this unprecedented situation. This is an inescapable reflection of who we are and our character in the face of a challenge. In the context of my small sphere I have seen people make re-usable face masks, donate to local food banks, help someone when they can’t make it to the pharmacy, and have watched people offer a supportive voice when the silence of self-isolation is deafening. All character traits to be emulated in my mind.

There are already whispers of us coming to the top of the curve, how we will turn society back on to something reflective of the way it used to be, and how the last eight weeks will echo into the next eight or nine months. We will all have a Covid 19 story that we’ll be eager to share or maybe just keep to ourselves upon reflection. As I mentioned to someone today we need to “gut this out for another three weeks” before we’re closer to having a conversation that doesn’t include a bubble of two meters. I will be very curious to ask what’s been learned for the next time.

Because most likely there will be a next time — probably around October or November.

iamgpe.

The importance of character when it's important...

I am not trying to be flippant when I say we are all in the middle of a very large Virology 101 classroom — as COVID 19 infiltrates the populations of the world we are all better understanding virus morphology, modes of transmissions, R naught ratings, progression of a disease, et cetera, et cetera. A new virus has entered the population and based on current data, if not put in check, may kill up to 2 % of the population before a vaccine and therapeutics are available. By any definition we are dealing with a crisis and now faced with what is affectionately called “flattening the curve” — implementing activities to slow the transmission rate of the virus, and by doing so, protect our institutions from becoming overwhelmed by those who become very sick. This is a situation where no one person can sit on the sidelines and everyone needs to take this seriously. Success will be the result of an effort of community and the character that comes with it.

We have all had difficult situations to work through, and like Covid 19, some came with ramifications that were life altering. As I contemplate the current situation (and past situations), there are aspects of character that reflect who we are, and more importantly, reflect our standing when the dust settles. The character for success.

Curiosity and Adaptability — ask questions to understand the situation. Be curious about the situation; understand the situation; know the situation. Seek out knowledge and be willing to adapt to the circumstances you have to work with. Knowledge will inevitably bring change and It’s important to embrace it — no matter how uncomfortable.

Honesty and Transparency — speak truth and be willing to share that truth. Full Stop

Compassion and Kindness — be willing to help others. Offering a helping hand is important, but remember empathy for how someone is feeling (or how they are reacting) can help with connection and understanding, and this will most likely lead to a more successful outcome. It’s possible that unexpected response was not because the person is difficult, but rather because they are anxious.

Grit and Determination — “I will not stop until it is done”. This is the birth place of all those good things we like to talk about: “New ways of doing things”, “Creative ideas”, “Overcoming obstacles”, “INNOVATION”, “Out of the box thinking”, “Success”, et cetera.

Courage — introduce a new virus into the population that disrupts the way we live, makes people sick, and causes death — it will cause anxiousness, anxiety and fear to be sure. The only way to check these feelings (and deal with the situation) is with courage. Even if you are just pretend to be courageous, that will work too.

Rising to the challenge, putting your best foot forward and bringing out the best in people — definitely important when it’s important, but then again, shouldn’t that be every day.

iamgpe

Surrender the narrative...

Why would anyone ever want to surrender the podium and in effect give the microphone to a substitute? It just seems very counter intuitive; after all, who can tell your story better than you? More affectionately called the narrative, this is the story we tell others (and ourselves) as we spin our tale. Make no mistake, this narrative is extremely important as it represents your personal brand (and the substance behind it), who you are, what you are doing, where you are going, your value, and your potential. The narrative conveys and controls the message that is you.

So back to the original question, “If you want to control your message, why would you ever give up control and risk having your story told wrong? “ The reason is it reflects the confidence and conviction of who you are and what you’re doing, and even more importantly, validates your story. As they say, there is nothing more impactful than the endorsement from someone else.

I learned this lesson a very long time ago around a dinner table — I was asked (with venom) why I felt our business unit was so special? To that question I turned to the VP at the time and suggested he could answer that question better than I could. And he did, and I nodded, and the person who asked the question frowned. Now in fairness I knew the VP was an informal supporter so our narrative was aligned and it was simply fun to watch him disappoint the naysayers around the table. Where it can be less entertaining is when people are asked to speak on your behalf but they may not be aligned.

I can remember, with great clarity I might add, the Chief Commercial Officer asking my team about how it was going, what they thought of the program, and by extension how I was doing. I sat at the back of the room quietly, and just listened. I watched the discussion play out hoping my surrogate narrators were “on message”. My mantra as they spoke was, “Don’t say anything; don’t say anything; whatever you do, don’t say a fucking word”.

Why you may ask was telling myself this?

If I had said something I would have compromised who was speaking, compromised the message, and most importantly compromised my conviction with what we were doing. There is also another reason, an important truism that seems to get forgotten more often than not — sometimes you need to shut the fuck up and let someone else speak.

Something I will admit I forget every so often.

iamgpe