My Pandemic Perspective: 4 Key Learnings and Takeaways
It’s been one hell of a year, don’t you agree? As I write this blog to sum up 2020, one of the craziest years we’ve had in a long while, words will never be sufficient to describe how outrageous and impactful this year has been. The global economy, education, healthcare, governments and businesses (profits and non-profits), and of course people’s lives, were affected, in most cases, quite severely. Sadly, the negative mental health effects that were brought on by the Coronavirus will continue a bit longer past the end of the pandemic.
Insights & Observations during a Global Pandemic
Many invaluable key learnings and takeaways came from this year, one of the most impactful years in my life. I spent much time reflecting, finding joy in little fleeting moments, and learning new skills such as, writing, free coaching, and becoming a junior online digital marketer and advocate for the Administrative Professional industry. Without further ado, let’s dive into my perspective and learnings during the pandemic year!
Remote Work:
There have been a few changes around how we work and where we can work from. This remote work thing was accelerated at a rapid pace due to the pandemic. As a result, it pushed many companies who may have been considering or playing with the idea of remote work to pivot quickly into action to bring it to life instead of going through a test phase.
While some businesses did struggle to keep operations going in the new norm of remote work, other companies were already ahead of the game. They were major players in the remote workspace. These organizations have benefited from less business interruption, not having to deal with low inventories in technology, vendor issues, or loss of business hours.
My Takeaway from this? Remote work is here to stay. How an organization chooses to communicate that to their employees is a matter of time. With the help of work policy revisions and guidelines to establish the direction to employees on the expectations of remote work, and what is allowed, is a good starting point.
If there was any doubt in the past regarding remote work, this pandemic has taught us to incorporate it in so many creative ways and never leave anything to chance! Taking into consideration that “one size does not fit all”, the goal is to continue to move forward with remote work. This cannot happen if remote work does not become a typical practice. This change can only happen with cultural transformation shifts from traditional corner offices to flexibility and leaving one’s ego at the door.
Career Change/Job Losses:
Given the pandemic impacted businesses globally, this has forced most organizations into enacting massive lay-offs or shutdowns. So, what does that mean for these individuals who have lost their jobs? Some of these individuals never needed to look for a job for many years as they have worked for one company for most of their career.
Where do they begin when having no idea what else they can do? Some individuals have; not job hunted in many years, lost touch with the current job market, not created polished resumes, lacked interview skills, or kept current on the most valuable skills employers are hiring for in the 2020 job market! Guess what? The answer to that was “pivot”. Pivot like your life depends on it, which encompasses networking, upskilling, hours of searching, resume creation, interview practice, knowing your strengths and weakness, and learning how to highlight your accomplishments. This means selling yourself to stand out from the millions of people who are applying to the same job.
The job market has become an employer’s market. With many people in the pool to pick from the process has turned into a survival of the fittest journey for job seekers. It also has given job seekers much-needed time to self-reflect whether they are in the right careers. It is time to re-invent their careers, consider a complete career makeover, or a transition to running your own business. Yup, I said it. In the worst possible time economically, to pivot and go out on your own.
My Takeaway from this? As a certified life coach and someone who lived this career change and job loss personally without a pandemic thrown in the mix, my advice is never to stay limited to one mindset of thinking. The world around us is constantly evolving and moving at a much faster pace than we care to admit. So please, do yourself a favor and move with it, keep an open mind, be a curious learner, and open yourself to possibilities, even if they are out of your comfort zone. Growth does not happen in your comfort zone!
I have learned a trick or two that continues to help me in this space. Do not be afraid of failure; instead, be afraid of not failing. Failure teaches a lot more about creative solutions, pivoting, courageousness, and adapting. You will not find learning in perfection. Perfection teaches you to doubt yourself more, lose sleep, wordsmith to death, and be afraid to take risks. In truth, fear and creativity cannot co-exist. So, choose what you want. To be guided by a false society that teaches perfection, striving for unrealistic ideals, and staying small? Or to be guided by taking risks, owning your story, accomplishments, and mistakes. It’s the legacy you leave behind to those that come after you, the generation that will require resiliency and authenticity to see growth and make an impact on the world around them.
It is never about you. It’s about your kids, grandkids, and many more generations to come. Becoming part of something bigger than yourself is where you will find purpose, so teach and share your experience freely. Gone are those days when our parent’s generations enjoyed job stability and longevity with one company or a role. Please stop putting on job requirements “Candidates who have longevity in their role.” It does not matter. We are in a different century, and people experience real struggles during their career trajectories. Get to know the candidate’s values and work ethic. Identify what their skills and talent are before judging them and deeming them unfit for the role.
COVID Losses Hitting Close to Home:
What I have to say about this part is that my heart truly hurts, and my tongue is too tight to convey the right words. I hurt for the loved ones I lost during this time, the gut-wrenching feeling of loved ones passing alone surrounded by nurses covered in protective gear, gasping for air to breathe (air that we take for granted), unable to say goodbye. It is not a movie but real-life!
Struggling to choose who can show up for funeral services with maximum capacities, deciding between key family members who wish to be part of it. Family members who are stranded and stuck outside of the country, scared, worried, and overtaken by anxieties, unable to console the broken-hearted. The heartaches, the emotional and physical impact can be overwhelming bringing someone down to their knees.
My takeaway from this? You are only as strong as your faith. Whatever you believe in will keep you grounded. I believe in a God who always has a plan no matter how hard I try to be in control. I have lived, and continue to live in his grace. For that, I am grateful. Staying strong during losses has always given me a pearl of newfound wisdom and perspective.
I have learned that if I am going to cry harder, I must laugh harder at my life and with people I love. To be mindful of living with purpose and intentions, of continuing to touch the lives of the people I cross paths with, to love harder, to be resilient, not to fear death but be prepared for it. In time, wounds heal and hearts mend, knowing that the secrets of finding joy are always in the smallest things in life.
Believing in a greater plan, meditating, practicing gratitude, and having the patience for things that have yet to come. Sharing hope, compassion, and kindness with others will expand your heart and fill your cup. Death teaches us to be grateful, stop wasting time, and live life fully, one season at a time. There will be good and bad times, but the bad times will always wake you up to the good stuff. So, start living if you haven’t yet!
The Politics of Who’s Better/Talented & Popular
I don’t want to spend too much time on this topic. The title is self-explanatory. In the business world, I have spent quite a lot of time on social media. I have seen so many people chasing the next shining objects they see. Everyone is trying to sell you something that supposedly brings you value or adds to your value (in other words, increase your worth to employers and opens the flood gate of opportunities).
There are lots of overwhelming offers and many promises to consider. Then we have the popularity contest with who is more talented and knowledgeable in your industry. Information overload is exhausting! Then there are year-end reviews, literally observing individuals’ going out of their way to outshine their peers and colleagues for a two-letter rating and increased bonus for tasks that they have done beyond what is required.
This sounds like a fair and fantastic thing for employees and employers alike. If not dealt with carefully, this can create an environment of unhealthy competitiveness among employees. In some cases, individuals will come up with the silliest things to add to their performance reviews as a way of proving their worth, especially during remote work.
The whole process feels more like a judgment of your worthiness, which takes away from the skills that matter the most: leadership, empathy, and the specific skills and talents that someone brings to the table. Unfortunately, most of those skills are intangible and more challenging to measure than the obvious ones.
My Takeaway from this? I have learned that your worth does not depend on others’ opinion of you or your work because they don’t always have the full picture. For those who don’t know what you do, it’s not your fault, but rather it’s theirs for not extending the opportunity to work with you on a project or educate themselves on what your role encompasses. Clear is kind, and un-clear is unkind, as Brene Brown says. When working with peers, colleagues, and especially those in the professional administrative roles, never assume they do nothing, or that their tasks are small because of the title they hold!
Misinformed is ill-formed; don’t be one of those people. I can speak from professional experience that administrative professionals are the unsung heroes of the organizations. We are always behind the scenes making things happen and making it look easy. We are miracle workers and strategic business partners. We play the chief of staff role without the title. Granted, it is mainly dependent on the leader we support. We are the backbone of the organization, and to that end, we are worthy, valuable team members, and we are confident enough in our skin to let you take the spotlight, so enjoy it on us…
In summary, the next time you feel like you need to prove your worth, remember to look in the mirror. You are worthy. It’s not all about the business. You are important, and you matter to someone. Have faith in that.
As for building and climbing the career ladder, I say get your priorities straight and find out what matters to you the most. Get good at that and master your craft, so they cannot deny your skills and talents. Stay humble, keep learning, keep evolving, be brave enough to challenge the status quo, speak up when you need to, think from a place of abundance, do not shrink your voice for others, and remember to keep three things in mind: It is temporary, trust in divine timing, and balance of equilibrium.
With that, it’s a wrap to this blog until the next one! Merry Christmas and Happy New year to my readers!
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