Today is a day that is often reserved for jokes and pranks. Often the jokester gets us to go along with something that we find hard to believe, then convinces us that it is true, only to quickly let us know that the joke is on us: April Fools!
The Covid pandemic is not an April Fool’s joke, although we wish it were.
Just a few weeks ago, (it seems like months), we were finding it hard to believe. Yet day by day our lives were radically changed by this invisible perpetrator of change.
I’ve shared in previous columns a bit of my own journey throughout this process. What I’m witnessing and celebrating (yes, celebrating) is our capacity for resilience in these challenging times. There are daily examples of how we are all adapting, and yes, even learning to laugh, about our predicament if we are fortunate enough not to be impacted by sickness from the virus.
As a coach, I am humbled and amazed by the resilience my clients demonstrate. On call after call, I am hearing stories of adaptability and optimism. Things are very tough. There is much uncertainty. Our world is not the same one of March 1, 2020. Yet we are resilient.
As a service to clients and to the Step Up Leader community, I am offering a free Webinar this Friday at 1 p.m.EST.
It is called: The Resilient Leader: Leading and Living Through the Covid Pandemic.
I plan to offer some background from the research on resilience, engage in resilience-building habits and practices, and offer live coaching to a few volunteers. I have room for 100 participants.
If you wish to join us, please email me no later than 5 p.m. EST today.
In the meantime, reach out to make sure your colleagues are safe. Let folks speak about how they are doing. What are they grateful for? As a leader, hold space for your teams like never before. Once their true emotions have been expressed, they can settle in to more active, engaged participation in a creative manner.
This is not a time for us to clam up and shut down. We need each other like never before.
Thank you for your engagement with our community of learning leaders.