Did you also see this picture a few weeks ago?
Now everyone is slowly coming back from their well-earned summer vacation, and for many, the time of working from home is also coming to an end. Returning to the office will feel like a new start for many. But before we get started and get started, it might be a good idea to look back.
What have we learned about ourselves in the last six months? How did we manage to combine all areas (work, family, hobby) in one room? How long have we been able to maintain optimism? How did we spend the time wisely? Which priorities have changed? Which people did we miss the most? What new findings have we achieved? What new skills and competencies have we built up? How important are they on the scale of things you like to do?
Planning for 2021 will start soon. Many people will be tempted to simply adopt the plan for 2020 and adapt it due to the crisis. But what would the plan for 2021 look like if we included everything we learned in 2020 with and through the crisis? Do we want to travel more or less or differently? How much time do we want to spend with family and hobbies? How do we deal with newly acquired skills — do we tick them off or do we use them?
These questions are relevant for entrepreneurs and employees. Because crises have been proven to bring out the best and worst in people. When we focus on the best: What do we do with it? Let's play through a few examples.
An accountant shopped for neighbors. In doing so, she discovered that she has organizational talent that has not been used before and that she has a good connection with people. These skills have not yet been tested while working. So how can financial skills be combined with organizational and social skills? Perhaps there is a project right now that does not really deal with a financial issue (although every project is somewhat financial), but requires competent project management who has good stakeholder management skills? Doesn't that sound very appropriate?
A marketing manager wanted to let his parents, who lived in a home, understand at least audibly that he was thinking of them. Without further ado, he played music in front of the nursing home. In doing so, he rediscovered his love for music and making music. This had been forgotten due to professional stress. And he realizes that his effectiveness at work after playing music for an hour is extremely much higher than without music. So he has now planned for himself to take breaks several times a week to make music. This is good for your own mind and for the company, which gets a more productive employee.
There are certainly hundreds of other examples. I would like to invite you to empathize with yourself. This crisis was difficult in many ways. But it also has positive things. We shouldn't let THAT fizzle out.
If you're looking for a sparring partner, I'm here for you!
