We are in very uncertain times however there are things we can do to ensure that we look after ourselves and others.
Last weekend, Anzac Day heralded a new way to observe the sacrifices of our forebears as many Australians stood at the end of their driveways, candles in hand, to acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of those who endured one of the most difficult periods of Australia’s history. We stood as echoes of the Last Post floated above our neighbourhoods in respect of those lost, those who returned, and those who endured to build the Australia we know today.
It was a nod to the resilience of our country in the face of crisis and as we all grapple with our current challenges wrought by COVID-19, it was also perhaps an opportunity to put into perspective some of the sacrifices Australians are having to make to our way of life to ‘flatten the curve’ of a health crisis most of us have never known before.
We’ve all been impacted by the scale and speed of change resulting from the arrival of COVID-19 and we’re having to adapt very quickly in how we work and live. But here’s the thing: We don’t know how long it will take for coronavirus to be eliminated—or if it can be—and we don’t know how long it will be before a semblance of life as we knew it can resume.
For that reason, it’s important to focus on what we can do amidst the uncertainty.
Recognise that this is an endurance race, not a sprint
Most consultants are typically familiar with having to hit the ground running in a new project, engage with new people and processes, and deliver quickly to achieve expected outcomes. On the surface of it, it would seem we are well equipped to meet some of the new stresses of adapting to distributed working, managing demands from co-workers and families when working from home, and maintaining good health.
Those of us with a lot of project experience understand that there are projects that have clear outcomes and there are those that are a walk in the fog. The social distancing and other restrictions currently in place in Australia have set us on an untimed endurance race in unfamiliar terrain without a clear outcome. Whilst our delivery skills may hold up in the early weeks as we adapt, the pace and cadence required is different when the urgency to act and deliver is over and we have to start pacing for the longer-haul.
As most of us know someone who has been stood down, made redundant, or is grappling with reduced income and now working from home, this can be very challenging. Those of us who remain in work often feel quite a lot of guilt or stress for having been initially spared from being stood down or being made redundant, whilst also knowing the future remains uncertain for us too.
The scale and undulating nature of this change are very different from what most of us have experienced. Work can be stressful enough at the best of times but coupled with the changes we’re all grappling with means that we need to be especially careful managing our mental health and being aware of the people around us who may be struggling.
