Creative responses to pandemic challenges

These past few months of the COVID-19 pandemic have been challenging for many people (and I want to acknowledge upfront that I’m aware that the type and level of challenge experienced have been largely influenced by one’s privileges).

One of the unique honors of being in the coaching profession is that I’m privy to the thought processes, experiments, and behind-the-scenes efforts that people invest as they creatively navigate their challenges and pursue their goals.

Today I want to share with you a few stories of people who, rather than resign themselves to their situations, have gotten proactive in trying to create the outcomes that they want (and achieved some wonderful results).

This is not meant as advice for what you should do - please seek relevant counsel for your specific situation - however, my hope is that these vignettes may spark ideas for you by exposing you to approaches and outcomes you might not otherwise be considering.

1) From overwhelmed to supported

Challenge:

A driven leader was feeling immense (largely internal) pressure to be there for her team, to stay responsive and supportive during a very volatile, uncertain period for the business. She also happened to be working from home - in lockdown conditions - with her husband and young daughter (who, as luck would have it, was going through a clingy phase).  She felt guilty for multitasking (eg checking her work phone while also helping her daughter with her homework) and feelings of overwhelm and exhaustion were growing as she continued to put her own needs behind those of her colleagues and family.

Response:

After getting clear on what she wanted and what needed to change, she enlisted the support of her network by:

1) negotiating a new daily schedule with her partner to more evenly share the parenting responsibilities. This enabled her to ring-fence specific times that she’d be able to respond (uninterrupted) to work emails and connect with her colleagues on Zoom.  

2) setting up an email autoresponder message that:

• let her colleagues know their messages had been received

• explained the context that she was in (ie trying to juggle parenting and teaching on top of professional responsibilities during the day)

• set the expectation of when the sender could expect a response

• communicated how to reach her via phone if something was urgent.  

Result:

While there’s no getting around the impossibility of continuing to work as though it’s BAU (business as usual) when you feel like you’re supposed to magically don your “professional”, “parent”, and “teacher” hats simultaneously, giving herself permission to adapt and renegotiate commitments based on her new circumstances provided some much needed relief.  

Instead of beating herself up for not meeting the productivity and performance standards she had for herself under “normal” circumstances, she accepted that the landscape had changed and developed a new standard for herself, one where she strived to be fully present to one domain at a time throughout the day, whether it was professional or personal.

2) From redundant to released

Challenge:

After her position was disestablished in a COVID-driven restructure, her company offered her a new role - one she didn’t want.

Response:

Instead of settling for the new role that didn’t feel like a fit, this leader spoke with an external employment lawyer to get advice on how she could respond to her situation.

After considering her options, she went back to her employer to decline the redeployment and negotiated a four-day work week during her notice period to create space for job hunting.

Result:

She’s feeling empowered, optimistic, and finding the job search process much less stressful then if she was trying to fit it in around a full-time job.

3) From blending in to standing out

Challenge:

A former business owner trying to land a job in a competitive market.

Response:

Instead of simply emailing the recruiters who came to him with job leads, he picked up the phone and called them to learn more about the opportunities.  In the phone conversations he was able to share his enthusiasm and passion for his field better than through a paper application alone.

Result:

This proactivity on the phone helped him stand out from a sea of other “paper” applicants and put him at the top of many interview lists.  In fact, his phone call impressed at least one recruiter so much that before even receiving his CV, she called one of her clients - which had already interviewed and turned down many candidates - and confidently told them, “I found the one you’re looking for.”  He interviewed for the position soon thereafter and was offered the job.