For the past 20-plus years, I have shared a New Year’s message with the theme of “promise and promises.” The idea being that the start of a new year is the closest thing in life we get to a “do over.” No matter how poorly the past year has gone—at work and in life—the new year offers the promise of a fresh start, a clean slate, another chance to do what you do better.
But this year feels different. Of course it does. This has been a dismal year. Think of all the new challenges we have faced at work, in school, with our faith and regarding our health (whether you’ve had COVID or merely ended up with the COVID-situational 20 extra pounds).
So many of us are beginning this new year not with a “fresh start” mentality but with a “survivor’s” mindset—we are mentally, emotionally and physically fatigued.
We have Zoom fatigue for sure; meetings on our devices are not ideal. Our kids are tired of being in school at home; they want a real classroom filled with their friends. We long to go to our places of worship—to sing praises and enjoy fellowship with those who share the love of our faith. We are tired of YouTube yoga and want to go back to a regular, in-person practice. We miss the simple things in life: hugs and handshakes, a pat on the back for a job well done, even sitting in tedious weekly team meetings.
So, what do we do? How do we start the new year renewed at a time like this? A time when, as one paster put it, “We are all either sad, mad or confused or a combination of all of these.”
First, I think it’s imperative to acknowledge your feelings. Own this. Maybe even have a short “pity party,” remembering, like all parties, it must come to an end.
It’s important to be realistic about our reality. Remember the “Stockdale Paradox” in Good to Great by Jim Collins? Admiral James Stockdale, who was a POW during the Vietnam War, said the optimists in captivity with him, who kept saying, “We’ll be out by Christmas” or then, “We’ll be out by Easter,” eventually gave up when those wishes didn’t happen. They never made it home. Stockdale said, “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”
The brutal fact of our reality today is that in business and in life we will continue to face economic and personal challenges with this pandemic. The vaccines, while promising, will not make all this magically go away.
Hope is not a strategy. But there are strategic ways to not only survive but thrive in the new year—whether you’re leading a large company or leading just yourself.
Expect disruption. Lead as though you will continue to have challenges—and lots of them. In war, solders expect to be attacked, so when they are, they are trained to react, not panic or freeze. Consider yourself and your company to still be under attack. Be ready to respond. Be decisive. Lead.
Pivot. The ability to respond to problems with new or altered ways of working will continue to be important. As a leader, your ability to react quicky and with an open mind will allow you to take advantage of new opportunities and new ways of doing business.
Your plan should actually be three plans. This is similar to what I’ve said in past years, but it’s different during our pandemic economy. Consider what you will do in response to “slow, slower, slowest” or “good, better, best.” We’re dealing with a novel virus and an unchartered economic reality. Plan for various situations and outcomes—not just one and not just the one you want. Having several plans in place will allow you, as a leader, to respond to your circumstances (good or bad), and pivot quickly to face the facts.
Get better. I have always said that a weak economy will expose whatever weakness you have in your company. In a good economy, profit often camouflages those weaknesses. Recognize those weaknesses and get to work on them. You no longer have the luxury of time to get better. Demand that people, processes and systems get better now.
Change. If I had to pick one word to describe what businesses had to do in 2020, that word would be: change. Did you ever think you’d see our high-end restaurants offering takeout as their primary way of doing business? Or that they’d be serving customers in a parking lot or even on the street? There’s not time now for “We’ve never done that” or “We can’t do that.” Think differently. Encourage creativity. Invite innovation. Figure out how to do things faster, cheaper and better.
So today, say to yourself, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Then move forward. Control what you can control and forget the rest. Face the brutal facts of our current reality and face them with decisive action and a mindset that is open to change. Do that and you will do what you do better.