“This too shall pass”
A reflective statement notably used by Abraham Lincoln in his pre-presential speech in 1859, its origin is Persian – an adage that reflects the temporary nature of the human condition. An 1848 English citation of the quote suggested that:
“It is impossible to imagine a thought more truly and universally applicable to human affairs than that expressed in these memorable words.”
It applies to us today. The COVID-19 pandemic, whilst tragically present and threatening, will, like many human challenges before it, pass.
Will you and your team or organisation be ready? Will you take advantage of this ‘reset’ we are experiencing to create a new and better normal for your people and your business. Great social shifts in our human history have come from adversity.
I read today this lovely article from the ABC’s writers. One of the things that allows us to call ourselves an evolved and intelligent species is our ability to imagine and create.
Taking the opportunity to get the right people in the room to have a SERIES of powerfully productive conversations about this should be happening NOW. If not, you could find yourself in the place of ‘too little too late’. Engaging now in visionary thinking has the potential to positively influence productivity and efficiency, employee engagement and motivation, mental health and stress, creative thinking, process re-engineering, cost reduction …and who knows what else!
Leaders have a unique opportunity to co-create a fabulous future with their teams. As Benjamin Disraeli said ‘I must follow the people. Am I not their leader?
Have you made time in your organisation for the ‘what should our new normal be’ conversations? Have you really thought about who should be involved in those conversations – ie, not the usual suspects! You will need to invest in a series of conversations as it will require evolution and diversity of thought, and challenging perspective taking, and will be most successful if a number of ‘insights’ emerge ie, things that as of this moment haven’t yet become obvious. Until time is taken out to think, reflect and challenge, you don’t know what you don’t know.
The human process of insight requires diverse and to some degree un-related discussion that converges on new thinking. This is a masterful communication process. You may have this specialty in house, or you may consider it a good investment so seek the support of a brain-based facilitator to short cut the process and ensure a higher level of quality thinking and proactive change.
What ever you do, don’t leave this too long.
