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The pandemic has changed all of us. The ramifications in terms of lives lost will remain unfathomable, and unbearable. Even when we emerge from this dark period this loss will be with us forever.
I’ve been working from home and haven’t seen my colleagues and friends (other than on Zoom) in over a year. I’ve felt pent up, and at the same time, I’ve enjoyed this opportunity to have more time with my wife and adult daughter than I would have had circumstances been normal.
Many of us have experienced similar benefits. We’ve seen that we can work from anywhere. The technology enables that and the idea that we can live where we want and work from anywhere has been proven in many careers. Daily commutes, business travel, office buildings have been forever changed and while this negatively affects many industries and jobs that provide these services, it has ignited changes for many individuals that have been beneficial.
In truth, we’ve had the ability to do this for some time. I wrote Rebooting Work ten years ago, in which I suggested we lay off office buildings and the commute and promote people regardless of geography. There were exciting advances happening back then and it’s only increased. One great example is Alariss, a talent marketplace, which helps people pursue global careers—remotely. (I am not an investor and do not have any involvement in this company.) This “reverse outsourcing” company connects Americans to virtual work opportunities in emerging markets. This is a great way for those companies to access great sales and business development talent and it’s also great for individuals who can accelerate their careers by gaining global experience and perspective without having to move far away or spend extended time from their families.
Just to be clear, I still believe face to face meetings are incredibly important, but I also think utilizing alternate ways of connecting has enabled other advances. We’ve seen this in the world of work and in the world at large. Yes, it may be better to be seen by your doctor, but a great—and more efficient—service is being provided by telemedicine. Yes, kids might be better back in school but the opportunity to access new ideas and experiences through the web is incredible. I just heard a high school principal talking about how her East Coast based students FaceTimed with a farmer in Wisconsin to learn about the latest advances in agriculture technology.
Now, thanks to the brilliant work of scientists, we have vaccines that will put an end to this period and set many of us back on the normal course of life. What will remain with us besides the pain of loss?
I believe behavioral changes have been ignited that will make life better on the other side of this. Curiously, we failed to realize so many of the options were all there for us
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before the pandemic. Why did it take a pandemic to make us realize we could do things differently? Why did it take a massive public health crisis to see that as individuals we have control of where we live, where we work, and how we balance work and life? Why did it take COVID-19 to be able to video chat with our physicians or have our kids can learn from and be inspired by people beyond the classroom walls?
As humans, we are quick to fall into certain behaviors and ways of doing things. At first, they were enabling but over time they can become constraining. Patterns that developed because there was room and reason for them may no longer make sense to continue. It’s time to recognize that and stop following antiquated ideas. We are wired to constantly grow and evolve—and our success relies on doing so. Just because we have done something one way doesn’t mean we need to continue doing it this way. We must not let the constraints of the past define the future. What can we take with us from this crisis to build a better future? And what else are we missing that could bring us joy and impact if we just got out of our routines?
Let’s get together again and see each other in person, let’s hug those we’ve missed a little tighter, and let’s celebrate what we have overcome…but let’s not go back to the way things were. Let’s evolve to where our imaginations can take us. And let’s vanquish old constraints the same way we do this virus.
