Goodbye 2020. Hello 2021?

The Obligatory EOY Post

Yeah… you know the deal. It’s been an unprecedented year; the pandemic is looming large; there is a major shake up in Washington; the economy is about to experience serious turmoil. Wenowdis.

I have said many times (to many different people) that we are going to look back to 2020 and say “and that’s when things changed.” I think now is the time for us to start thinking about how things should change… and WHY.

WFH

Remote working used to be a big no-no in the corporate world. “Real” business people didn’t wear lounge pants while leading a staff meeting on Webex. COVID has changed that, and according to some experts, there is no going back. (NASDAQ)

What type of change might this bring about?

· New HR policies

· Evolved ways to manage a team

· Better technologies to communicate and collaborate

· Breaking away from the 8-5 mentality

· And, “remote work” does not mean “work from home”

Don’t get me wrong – not every profession can or will be remote. And, even the ones that could be, don’t have to be. What I think can change, though, is the mindset that your body needs to be at your desk between these hours in order to accomplish what needs to be done. We have proven this is not an imperative.

Travel

Man, do I miss traveling, but I’m a bit of a germaphobe. OK, maybe I’m a full-blown germaphobe. I wipe down hotel rooms with disinfectant wipes before I touch anything, I call airplanes “germ tubes” and I use napkins to pick up condiments at restaurants. Anyway… I think this way of thinking will become the norm.

· Masks on planes

· QR Code menus

· Individual servings sizes of condiments

Entertainment

Even more, I LOVE going to live music events. Will we ever have concerts again? Yes, of course we will. But they will be different

· Social distancing – probably won’t see mosh pits for quite some time

· Pods? Maybe seats are sold in groups only?

· Masks at shows? That’s conceivable right now.

Education

Well, this one has needed a reboot for many years. Maybe this is what it takes to get our education system away from training our kids to work in factories. Maybe this is when school administrators will start exploring different ways of learning… of utilizing technology… of going to school wherever you are. I will miss snow days, though.

As I have been working on this post, I have noticed what’s happening and what is being said, and I keep wondering if we will remember 2020 as vividly as we have lived it. I mean, will we all remember exactly what the pandemic experience was like. Or will we move on… the memory of a year spent at home fading into the past?

I know the fade is coming. It always does. But I do believe there will be fundamental shifts in the way we live our lives… and I don’t think they will be all bad. When the time for me to board another plane comes, I’m pretty sure I will be wearing a mask and I will be using a Clorox wipe to clean my seat belt, armrests and tray. When I get to eat in a restaurant again, I probably won’t need to use hand sanitizer after reading the menu because I fully expect that menu will be on my phone.

The way we live our day-to-day lives… the way we interact with each other… the way we work and go to school… I think they will be forever changed. It’s part of our evolution. But will we remember why? Does it matter?

I think it does.

There won’t be an international declaration that the pandemic is over (at least, not this year). Instead, it will be gradual shift of businesses re-opening and people going back into public. It will look different. How are you going to embrace it?

I am going into 2021 with a positive outlook to bring intentional change… both in how I live and work as well as how I move forward post-pandemic. Buckle up. This bumpy ride isn’t over yet!