by Claire Holden, Empowerment Coach
I was in a meeting yesterday where we all agreed that we’re sick and tired of the Covid-19 pandemic. We’re tired of talking about the need to ‘pivot’, the ‘new normal’ and the uncertain future. Our news feeds are filled with stories of loss, blame, uncertainty and recriminations. It’s exhausting. The constant anxiety and barrage of bad news shuts down our thinking and saps our energy. We need creative, innovative thinking and an abundance of energy to be successful entrepreneurs, so it’s imperative we change the conversation!
My inspiration in changing the conversation is Taiwan. Taiwan, despite its proximity to China, has suffered very few casualties as a result of Covid-19. Their response to the pandemic was swift, proactive (they started implementing safety protocols before the world was even aware of the virus) and efficient. They learnt valuable lessons from their experiences in the 2002-2003 SARS pandemic and were quick to take action in this one. The question is, how can we be like Taiwan? What can we learn from this pandemic that increases our readiness, efficiency and resilience both personally and in our businesses?
In this article I share my top lessons and how I believe we can each apply them in our contexts.
Lesson 1: Values Matter
I believe that the lack of early reporting, the secrecy around numbers, collusion, blaming and even the fighting about when and how to ease lockdowns are all a reflection of a global value system. The world values success, competition and winning at all costs. Value is placed on financial wealth, being right, having all the answers and cultivating a perfect image. These values have created pervasive cultures of judgement, distrust, and blame. It inspires an individualism and desire for success that comes at the expense of others, that undermines relationships and destroys the value of human life.
How might this pandemic and the global response to it have been different if our collective values centred around mutual respect, collaboration, communication and collective thriving? How might things have been different if we shared knowledge, insights and resources respecting each other and the value of every human life?
Lesson 2: Blame Doesn’t Move Us Forward
Has anyone gained anything by blaming others? It doesn’t change the facts. Blame doesn’t bring people back to life, save companies or revive the economy. It keeps us stuck. Blame encourages exactly those values which got us into this mess in the first place.
How can we step away from blame and become solution focused? How can we change our thinking so that we focus on what we do want rather than engaging our energy and focus to what has already gone wrong? How can we let go of how we got here and focus on where we want to go?
Lesson 3: Secrets Come Out
In their desire to maintain a position in the world, it would appear that China hoped to keep this new virus a secret. Doctors who spoke about it were silenced and accounts of person to person transmission were vehemently denied. But the truth will out. Secrets are like a cancer. Issues don’t go away because we wish them to or pretend that they’re not happening. When we cover things up, deny the truth or tell blatant untruths, we compound the problem, give it more power and allow it to grow and fester.
What might have happened if China had alerted the world to the possibility of a new virus early on? How might the impact of the virus have been affected if the best and brightest scientists in the world had collaborated on strategies and solutions for dealing with the virus early on?
Lesson 4: We Are Interconnected
We've spoken for years about the 'global village' but this pandemic has highlight how truly connected we all are. Whatever language we speak, religion we practice or party we voted for, we are all impacted in remarkably similar ways. We're all in this together. What might happen if we take this opportunity to share our stories, recognise each other’s shared humanity and build bridges? We can choose to collaborate and work together to find solutions that will benefit everyone or we can stay stuck in the fighting and recriminations.
As an Empowerment Coach, the question for me is how we take these global lessons and apply them in our own lives. How do we learn from this so that the financial hardships, the loss of life and liberty are not entirely in vain?
Be intentional about our values. As individuals, families, communities and organisations we need to spend time co-creating a set of values that builds environments in which we can all thrive. We need to spend time discerning what our values look, sound and feel like when they are lived experiences rather than words on a wall or concepts in a brochure. We need to hear every voice and respect every opinion as we seek a value set that is truly inclusive and inspiring for everyone. We need to hold each other accountable for living those values.
We need to cultivate open and honest communication where each member of our family and organisation can speak up and contribute without fear or favour. We need to set aside our arrogant certainty, the need to be right or clever and listen with humble curiosity to the insights and opinions of others. Our staff often have the best insights into our strength and opportunities and know where processes can be streamlined and refined.
We need to recognise that we are smarter together, that our collective solutions are better than our individual ones. Collaborative thinking increases the quality of all our thinking exponentially. Ask questions, acknowledge that we don't have all the answers, be vulnerable and seek help and support where we need it. Collaboration and mutual respect build our sense of team and commitment to our organisational goals.
We need to become solution focused and start asking questions about what has worked well and what the ideal solution is. We need to focus our energy on finding positive ways to move forward rather than wallowing in what ensures we stay stuck. In our families and organisations we need to focus conversations and meetings around clearly defined outcomes and stay focused on working towards those outcomes rather than expending energy in focusing on what we don't want.
We need to shine the light on what works well and use that as the starting point and inspiration for what we can achieve in the future. We need to be grateful for what is and appreciate those things and people who add value. How often do you voice appreciation for members of your team? How often do members of your organisation affirm and thank each other?
I would love to hear your thoughts, your reflections and your learnings. The lessons we need to learn in life have a way of presenting themselves until we actually take them on board and learn them. Let us each commit to learning the lessons and working to apply them in our context.
Claire Holden is an Empowerment Coach with a vision to impact as many lives as possible by working with individuals and groups to maximize their sense of empowerment. Claire believes we have more power than we think and more control of our lives than we realize, and believes empowerment leads to fulfilment & success! Claire started her career in Commerce working primarily in the United Kingdom doing consulting work for large multi-nationals, medium sized companies and small start ups. On her return to South Africa she worked in non-profit organizations gaining experience in a very different sector. The culmination of these experiences led her to take the decision to enter the world of coaching.
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