Weathering the COVID Storm with the “5L” Challenge

Are you feeling like the “buck” stops with you and you’re feeling lonely and isolated? If so, you’re not alone and here are some tips to help you navigate and traverse from the land of isolation to the land of connectedness

What’s happening inside your mind, body, and spirit?  Are you feeling isolated, hopeful, depressed, stressed or optimistic?  Pay attention to these thoughts and emotions for they can have a lasting and impactful influence on yourself and others.  How are you communicating during this time?  I heard a story of a manager who conducts Zoom meetings without using the video.  This made the employee feel more alone and disconnected.  Now she has a different manager with a different, more inclusive approach, which is making a positive impact on her attitudes and feelings about her job, even though she is still working from home.  She sees her manager on Zoom and that makes a difference!   I heard another story about how a manager who conducted Hangout Meetings on Friday to have FUN.  Employees talked about an accomplishment that week, what they are doing on the weekends and played around with Zoom tools – e.g. changing the virtual background, etc.  This begs the question – are you having fun?  if you’re not having fun, how do you expect others have a positive attitude and enjoy what they do?  By all means, be honest with yourself.  Take ego and self-centric blinders off and be transparent.  Finally, make sure that you are taking care of yourself on a physical, emotional, and mental level.

I cannot recall any other time than the present where Leaders have the MOST impact on employees and the workplace.  Leaders have an extremely important role to play to ensure team members are engaged and supported as much as possible.  Leadership in today’s world can make or break companies and outcomes, more so than ever before.  Are your actions having a positive or negative impact on those you interact with?  Be honest in responding to this question.

Do you listen; I mean really listen to others?  Are you open to feedback and new ideas?  This again is another key aspect of weathering the COVID storm.  By listening, observing, and taking notice of what’s going on around you, in front of you and behind you (past, present, future); this gives you the ability to adapt and change to the ever-evolving set of circumstances that we have no control over.  What you ALWAYS have control over is how your respond to the situations that are present.  You may be saying to yourself – I know this already.  There’s nothing new.  However, the question is not, do you know this? The question is, how well do you do this on a consistent basis?

Are you taking the opportunity to learn by taking a class, attending an online seminar, reading a book, listening to Podcasts, You Tube Videos, etc.?  One other important aspect is to apply and use what you learn.  Don’t let that knowledge go to waste and share your knowledge with others.  I’ve learned so many new things this year, especially in the world of social media and online marketing presence.  I’ve learned how to take live training sessions and convert them to virtual.  I’ve learned that I am able to write and post blogs on my website.  As we also know, learning has its ups and downs and ebbs and flows.  It’s also important not to give up and keep working at learning new stuff.  What I love about being a life-long learner is that I am always in a place of growth and adventure.  When I learn new things, I feel empowered and optimistic.  I realize that I CAN learn and I CAN retain and I CAN grow.  One final thought about learning is to turn the information into practice.  What habits and practices do you employ on a regular basis (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly)?  Habits are huge as it relates to gaining traction and implementing positive change in your life.

Do you have a trusted advisory team to reach out to?  Do you belong to networking groups?  Again – it’s vitally important to have a group of people with who you trust and can rely on to help you get through tough times.  The main point is to ask for help and accept it!  What this shows others is that you are able to be vulnerable and in that state of vulnerability is strength and resiliency.  It also shows others that you are transparent and don’t have all the answers.  It’s amazing how people will show up to help if you only ASK.  Put your ego aside and don’t travel alone – it’s not worth it.

The other day, I reached out to a colleague who recently retired.  I asked her to be my mentor and she said “absolutely”.  I was hesitant to ask, but when I did, I was surprised by her positive response.  I also turned the table to ask her how I might help her.  She mentioned that she’s feeling isolated.  By being my Mentor, it’s a win-win situation.  She’s a brilliant business person and therefore, has so much to give, even in the new phase of her life.

Take a leap of faith and believe that the outcome, whatever it may be will be better than not trying at all.  Also, break things into small, bite-size pieces and in small increments of time.  I was speaking with a close friend the other day who wants to start her own corporate wellness consulting practice.  Her ideas are wonderful; however, they are all over the place.  She’s stuck in an unending loop of thinking and planning without gaining momentum for moving forward.  I find myself getting stuck at times and I then say to myself – just get it done.  It may not be perfect, but you’re moving forward and that’s more important.

If you decide to implement the 5L’s and really commit to routines and formulating habits, you will see achieve major outcomes.  With that said, results may not come overnight; but if you stay the course, good outcomes will eventually take shape.

“Your ability to change is UP to YOU and NO One else”

Cash in on a complimentary 5L inventory and consultation to help you decipher what’s important to focus on in 2021.  Now’s the time to reflect and purposefully look ahead