Don’t come up short with “Business as Usual”

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for many reasons, but what has truly blown me away is the overwhelming positivity in the face of real and serious difficulty. I have read countless posts and articles about individuals finding unique silver linings despite having unfortunately lost work due to the economic situation surrounding COVID-19. Beyond just coping with the sudden hardships and challenges, they are updating resumes, learning new marketable skills, tackling side projects, hustling however they can, and generally working to better themselves. I applaud and admire their tenacity and wish them the absolute best of luck in their next chapters.

Those of us who are fortunate to be able to work from home during this upended time are moving past the initial logistical challenges of the transition and starting to get into somewhat familiar rhythms. So now I ask - what are we doing? How are we working to better ourselves and our organizations? How can we see this situation as positive too? Working from home is not without its own difficulties and demands (God bless the parents), but this is an opportunity for us as well.

If you look, there are many individuals already on this path of optimism. I see leaders practicing incredible foresight as they work to collect this unique cultural data and be better prepared for the future. I see young professionals offering to unpretentiously answer technology questions to an older workforce who suddenly find themselves more online than they have ever been. I see virtual learners and process optimizers capitalizing on their non-billable hours. I see office socialites reaching out digitally and making themselves available with intentionality to create a sense of community.

We aren't just hired to fulfill a bullet-point job description list; we are hired to add value. That certainly starts with the bullet-point list (do your work and do it excellently), but it shouldn't stop there - particularly not now. Look for creative ways to add value to your tasks, your teams, and your organizations. Seek opportunities to learn something new or reflect a little deeper (or at all). Crowd out bad habits by establishing good ones.

It would be a shame if we simply moved our work into our homes and didn't recognize this as an opportunity to grow. This could be an instigating point to reset, clean out the cobwebs, and start a serious personal overhaul. Don't just settle for a virtual version of 'business as usual' - this isn't usual. Make something of it.