It feels more permanent this time, like we’re finally moving beyond the pandemic and into some semblance of a sustainable routine. For many of us, 2021 was a tougher year than 2020 as we tried to balance safety and the need to reengage. Reengagement means it’s time to come back into the real world and return Zoom calls and remote meetings to their rightful place. Venturing out will take new energy as we rediscover how to learn and connect with each other. We need to reconnect to face the new challenges requiring us to pull in one direction.
For me, 2021 was much harder than 2020. In 2020, I was busy staying safe, solving immediate problems, and surviving on the momentum built before the coronavirus shut us down. Learning about the virus, taking the appropriate precautions, and figuring out new remote technologies occupied most of my time in 2020. In 2021, I struggled to stay current, connected, and engaged to help manufacturers learn about new trends and technology. As the year wore on, virtual meetings showed their limitations more and more.
Clearly, it’s time to reemerge in 2022, adding the benefits of networking and personal connections to the new technologies we mastered while cooped up in our personal outposts. Future success will require both traditional personal connections and leveraging our ability to move virtually in ways we didn’t know were possible two years ago.
Two episodes drove home the importance of attending and connecting in the past month. First, I ventured out to a terrific Icons in Business breakfast with Brenda DeVita, the artistic director of the American Players Theatre. It seemed irrelevant and too much trouble to attend until Jon Konarske pulled me out of my cave. Wow! What I could have missed!
That breakfast was one of the best events I ever attended, forcing me to think about old ideas in new ways — and in a different context. DeVita talked about the need to give people a work home, so they have the courage to fully engage. She taught me that when I’m talking, “… people should be laughing, crying, or learning … or I should shut up.” DeVita also illustrated how we as bosses have all the power in employment situations — we can do almost whatever we want — so it should be easy for us to listen and not get defensive about what we hear. Three powerful concepts (and a good breakfast) that I would have missed sitting in my office.
Also coming from that breakfast was a chance to connect with a woman I’ve known for years — but never met one on one — to figure out how we could help each other. That finally happened and I rediscovered how much more you can learn about a person, their life, and what they need in an hour across the table than over Zoom or on the telephone. We found many places where we might be able to cooperate. Personal connections can make all the difference when facing difficult and complicated situations.
Complicated and difficult situations will clearly be a major part of our lives going forward. Businesses will need to address the changes inflicted by COVID-19 and new technology. Chronic workforce shortages will exacerbate stresses in the economy and how people view their jobs and careers. The importance placed on social issues like global warming and diversity, equity, and inclusion will require new approaches to almost every facet of our lives. These issues require effective solutions — solutions that demand everyone’s talents because no one person has all the answers.
So, it’s time to break out of your hovels and personally reengage with the real world. Dust off your networking skills and connect with new people. Stretch your thinking to explore new ideas — especially those on the fringes of your world. Make new friends and expand the relationships you have. All these actions will put you in position to embrace the challenges of 2022 and make a real difference to the people around you.
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