THE SUDIANCO CYCLE – LEARNING FROM THE PANDEMIC ERA

The world as we know it has changed drastically over the last few weeks.

Some believe that as soon as the mobility restrictions are lifted everything will go back to the way it was, everything will be “normal” again. It is doubtful that this will happen. “Normal” will likely become something we do not yet know or something we have not seen before.

After the initial euphoria of having won the war against this terrible virus, a new reality will set it. Our reflections and thoughts during the time of separation on what the reality might look like and what may have changed in ourselves and around us will kick in. The impact of our time of isolation I believe will have a strong influence on social and business aspects, as well as on an individual and collective level.

This time of isolation we have experienced whether we have been by ourselves, in family or with friends provided us with an initial hope that will likely last for a few days, as we get back to the demands of life moving on from movies and social media to doing something more structured and useful to keep ourselves busy and active.

Once we get into a routine again, that might be when the deeper reflection starts, and a variety of questions and doubts about the past we knew will pop into our mind. We have learnt. We learned about ourselves, about others, about the global responsiveness and more.  The process of reflection may drive us to a few self-imposed promises and commitments. It may not however end there. As time continues and routine becomes more of a fact, new reflections may come in with fresh commitments replacing previous ones or are added.

One might refer to this cycle as the: “SUDIANCO” Effect: SUrprise; DIsbelief; ANxiety; COmmitment.

I am not going to elaborate on each of these aspects, however I wanted to share some of my thoughts about what might change under these elements.

SOCIALLY: We have learned the value of social distancing. This may lead to people having smaller gatherings and to proactively excluding others like when they have the flu. We may find different, more restrictive rules on the number of people allowed in a given space or when using public transportation or even in airplane seating configuration to keep healthy distancing.

PROFESSIONALLY: We have learned the value of working from home or working from a designated personal space. We have learned the value of online teaching and meeting. It saves time, it saves mobility, it reduces traffic and contributes to a greener environment.  It saves on “real-estate” space for companies. There may be a tradeoff between salaries (higher) and the cost of company space (lower). Such tradeoffs may equally benefit employees, consultants and companies large or small. New technological services could be enhanced, and improved like tools and services for online meetings, sharing and transmissions for business, education and health services. Hospitals will likely be reconfigured and organizations will be more mindful about quick responses and fast adjustments.

INDIVIDUALLY: Deeper thinking, listening, compliance, and supporting are some of the individual traits that might become stronger. Since the current situation does not allow for one to just walk over to a colleague and have a “quick question” answered, or a colleague may not be available online when the answer is needed, one will have to think and act alone and depend more on oneself in finding “quick answers”. This could be positive and not limiting.

Since online meetings make it difficult to interrupt because only one person can speak at a given time, we will learn to pay more attention, to listen more carefully, and be more respectful. 

Meetings might actually start on time and our agendas could be computer-managed, where the computer reminds us of things to do and automatically logs us into meetings.   Excuses for missing or being late to a meeting might lose their weight or acceptance.   There might be more pressure to comply with these new rules and ways of behaving.  

COLLECTIVELY: We accept and share the need to support and help each other. The strength of singing together from the balconies though we do not know each other, the excitement of exercising together online or in a shared patio while exercising social separation, the value of global meetings, or Zoobidays (ZOOM Birthdays) and ZOOMinners (ZOOM Dinners), or ZOOppy hours (ZOOM happy hours) as an opportunity for a collective sharing among friends wherever they are in the world, will grow. We are learning as a society that we can mobilize services and help each other via fast collective chain communication around the globe. This is collective power.

For a long time, we have been talking and anticipating much of what I have expressed above; now it is becoming a reality. The future is here.  This means that people, as well as companies, large and small, will find themselves at a cross road from which they will have the opportunity to choose among four avenues or directions to follow.  To stay current and relevant individuals, organizations and companies will have to choose their way.

One road, will lead towards protecting the known pre pandemic comfort zone, the status quo. The second road will reflect doubts, a discomfort to act with the unknown knocking on the door, the ‘let’s wait and see’, procrastination approach. The third road, could energize people towards learning how to respond fast, to be agile with the ability of quick adaptation to the new post pandemic reality. The fourth road is about being forward looking, learning to anticipate the future and using all of our learnings to drive towards re-invention.

I believe the new reality will force leaders at all levels to come out of their comfort zone and continue to make decisions with a new level of uncertainty.  There is and will continue to be a need to look at the world with fresh eyes and seize the vast and exciting new opportunities that lie ahead of us.  Without seizing these opportunities, we might lose our value, become irrelevant and worse disappear altogether.

Having done some of my own reflection over these last few weeks of isolation, I predict that only those individuals and companies who show strong resilience, courage to adapt and/or reinvent themselves and their businesses will not only cultivate the skills needed to survive but will actually thrive in a post pandemic world.

I am not arguing that all that has occurred during this quarantine period is necessarily positive. For example, the use of prose-like language in communication may be lost on many, as there is a segment of the population, currently benefiting from a “new” language which is not with words but with emojis to express their emotions and who may feel more comfortable with limited face time, individual contact and exchange of thoughts and feelings. However, I believe that this unexpected experience of no choice distance may lead to a fresh look at what this segment has been doing and come up with new ways of communicating for all of us.

Whatever we decide to do, or however we choose to live, it is in our hands. We are the protagonists. There is a choice to be made: learn from the experience, learn about ourselves, the meaning of our surroundings, and our homes to the point that we embrace the challenges we faced and grow through them; or we can succumb and escape to the comfort of a short memory and quickly experience the personal, collective, and social consequences that might follow.