Have you integrated the new ways of working following Covid?
It's great to see two thirds of people said yes, in my January 2021 poll.
I polled people in May, September, October 2020, and January 2021. See how the results moved over time, in the graph below.
Although many people felt positive last September, this turned out to be temporary, shown by a slippage to more challenging feelings in October when the second wave of COVID became real. In October, the percentage of people in the depression phase more than doubled compared to May and September, and the percentage of people in the acceptance phase reduced. Then, by January 2021, the number of people in the acceptance phase had recovered back to the September levels.
Please also note that a third of us (a significant minority) continue to remain in frustration, depression, or testing mode, and these people need support to start to accept the new world we're living in.
In terms of where you may be at and what may be helpful to you, those polled mentioned that their feelings 'vary day to day' and 'go round regular cycles of integration and experimentation'. 'Finding things that have control over a situation that is constantly changing and uncertain, allows me to push myself from frustration and depression back into the other stages...Working from home allows me to experiment and integrate more flexibly as well.'
I've found it important to keep this in mind as I'm coaching.
How can you respond as a leader?
Firstly, what are your own feelings? Have you integrated the new ways of working in a more permanent way than you had six months ago? Identify where your head is at today, in relation to covid, and use these tips to help you move forward.
Secondly, check in with your team - ask them how they feel, and what they need from you to make them feel better at the moment. This will cause your team to feel supported and help them to be more focused at work.
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