Hello, fellow stay-at-homers. How was your first full week of working from home? I thought I'd share some of my observations from this new workplace normal.
My highlights for the week were:
- Critiquing the various rooms and environs of those I interacted with via Zoom. It was interesting to see where others were setting up shop--makeshift desks, dining room tables, a space in a bedroom. It reinforced that the suggested "find your space" is being adapted by most.
- Assisting the rookies navigating the Zoom platform for the first time. I, for one, found Zoom to be an incredibly easy user experience. And, I wish I had a buck for every time someone referenced The Brady Bunch given the gallery view when multiple attendees are on the meeting platform.
- Smiling at the various interruptions on Zoom meetings, from the creative director with the toddler son showing off his bottle to the various pets sitting by their owners to - the best - the colleague whose 7-year old daughter was singing, loudly and oblivious, in the next room. (Think the scene of Julia Roberts in the bathtub in Pretty Woman...)
- Yelling downstairs to get someone to tell my 3-year old grandson to quit incessantly ringing the doorbell.
- Sitting on the deck, smoking a cigar, having a cocktail, all while conducting an end-of-day meeting. (And, yes--it was at the end of the day.)
What was very gratifying about the past week was seeing others consistently communicate with their co-workers and friends. There is recognition of the need for checking in, saying "hi," asking how you're doing, and being in tune with the needs of others. It felt like everyone had injected an extra dose of empathy into their being.
The stay-at-home ordinance is a leadership challenge unlike any that we have universally faced. If week one is any indication, I'm encouraged by our ability to lead and manage through, to have a heightened sense of connection, and to be empathetic to the needs of others.
Be well. Stay safe. #AloneTogether
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Alone Together
The Ad Council has launched a public service campaign with the hashtag #AloneTogether.
How true. In this new normal of staying home and avoiding others, there is a growing feeling of boredom, anxiety and, for some, loneliness.
That's where all of us come in.
Reach out to family, friends and colleagues. Think about those who you know are more dramatically impacted by being homebound--the elderly, parents or a parent with kids who no longer have school, and even those you know who are social animals and are struggling with the lack of human contact. Over-communicate.
And please, people, can you be a bit more judicious about exactly how much toilet paper, ground beef and Doritos that you really need!? Leave some for the rest of us, okay?
Be safe. Be strong. Be #AloneTogether.
How true. In this new normal of staying home and avoiding others, there is a growing feeling of boredom, anxiety and, for some, loneliness.
That's where all of us come in.
Reach out to family, friends and colleagues. Think about those who you know are more dramatically impacted by being homebound--the elderly, parents or a parent with kids who no longer have school, and even those you know who are social animals and are struggling with the lack of human contact. Over-communicate.
And please, people, can you be a bit more judicious about exactly how much toilet paper, ground beef and Doritos that you really need!? Leave some for the rest of us, okay?
Be safe. Be strong. Be #AloneTogether.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
What happens next?
Eerie.
That's the word that I keep thinking of as I try to make sense of what's going in our world right now.
Empty parking lots.
A coffee shop without people, save for the two baristas.
A noticeable drop in traffic commuting to work.
A church sanctuary without a congregation.
Absolutely no live sports on television.
Movie theaters with screens that are dark.
Patients with names of "Hanks" and "Durant" who have contracted the virus.
A shift from the "paradox of choice" to "I need toilet paper and I'll take whatever scent and ply you've got"
The current end of "let's go grab lunch" or "how about meeting for coffee?"
Pick-up service at upscale restaurants.
"Social distancing" in the age of social media.
Brands trying to figure out what in the hell to do.
Workers coping with their new normal--virtual meetings, diminished in-person interaction and the challenge of business as usual.
Where do we go from here? What becomes our new normal when, hopefully, the curve has been sufficiently flattened and we actually can have coffee with a co-worker, in person, again?
None of us know what will happen next. What I do know is that now is the time when true leaders step up and lead. Now is the time when your team members want assurance, validation and a caring voice on the other end of the phone. Now is the time when listening is more important than ever before.
My advice is this--over-communicate, listen, check in regularly, and don't hunker down in your remote workplace such that you forget those who are depending upon you.
Let's get through this together. Stay safe.
That's the word that I keep thinking of as I try to make sense of what's going in our world right now.
Empty parking lots.
A coffee shop without people, save for the two baristas.
A noticeable drop in traffic commuting to work.
A church sanctuary without a congregation.
Absolutely no live sports on television.
Movie theaters with screens that are dark.
Patients with names of "Hanks" and "Durant" who have contracted the virus.
A shift from the "paradox of choice" to "I need toilet paper and I'll take whatever scent and ply you've got"
The current end of "let's go grab lunch" or "how about meeting for coffee?"
Pick-up service at upscale restaurants.
"Social distancing" in the age of social media.
Brands trying to figure out what in the hell to do.
Workers coping with their new normal--virtual meetings, diminished in-person interaction and the challenge of business as usual.
Where do we go from here? What becomes our new normal when, hopefully, the curve has been sufficiently flattened and we actually can have coffee with a co-worker, in person, again?
None of us know what will happen next. What I do know is that now is the time when true leaders step up and lead. Now is the time when your team members want assurance, validation and a caring voice on the other end of the phone. Now is the time when listening is more important than ever before.
My advice is this--over-communicate, listen, check in regularly, and don't hunker down in your remote workplace such that you forget those who are depending upon you.
Let's get through this together. Stay safe.
Saturday, March 14, 2020
My view of COVID-19...and it's not from Section 10
Like most of you, I'm hunkered down in my home, monitoring the news for the latest on the coronavirus pandemic...and am bored to tears. For the first time ever in my adult life, my day tomorrow will not be spent in anticipation of the NCAA Tournament Selection Show and the resulting hours of "analysis" as I fill out my tourney bracket.
No, my time is now spent with a wandering mind, thinking...
- Are public restrooms experiencing a rash of stolen toilet paper?
- Why were all of the frozen items sold out at Trader Joe's yesterday?
- Do I really want to take a stab at making my own hand sanitizer?
- Why is there even a run on toilet paper?
- Are Zoom and other remote/virtual meeting options one of the few sectors that will benefit from this pandemic?
- Why don't CBS and Turner show old NCAA Tournament games over the next three weeks?
- Which song do I really want to sing to ensure a 20-second hand-washing regimen?
- What brilliant mind suggested that Tito's vodka could be a component of homemade hand sanitizer?
What are you doing to survive your first pandemic? Section 10 wants to know--shoot me a note.
Be safe out there, peeps!
No, my time is now spent with a wandering mind, thinking...
- Are public restrooms experiencing a rash of stolen toilet paper?
- Why were all of the frozen items sold out at Trader Joe's yesterday?
- Do I really want to take a stab at making my own hand sanitizer?
- Why is there even a run on toilet paper?
- Are Zoom and other remote/virtual meeting options one of the few sectors that will benefit from this pandemic?
- Why don't CBS and Turner show old NCAA Tournament games over the next three weeks?
- Which song do I really want to sing to ensure a 20-second hand-washing regimen?
- What brilliant mind suggested that Tito's vodka could be a component of homemade hand sanitizer?
What are you doing to survive your first pandemic? Section 10 wants to know--shoot me a note.
Be safe out there, peeps!
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