One year on: positive lessons from a pandemic

It’s been a tough year and times continue to be hard for many. However, there’s lots of lessons we can take out of this age.

I don’t know about you, but I can hardly believe it’s been over a year since the first COVID case was reported in Australia at the end of January 2020 (although it feels like forever at the same time). This time last year, we were in an in-between period – before the world health organisation declared a pandemic and lockdowns began in Australia – and feeling uncertainty, low-level panic, and disbelief.

Granted, things aren’t much better now in many parts of the world (I’m grateful for relative normality where I live), but at the very least we now have knowledge. We are used to wearing masks, checking into venues, keeping our distance, finding ways to communicate.

When I look back at the past year, it’s easy to think of the bad. So, I thought I’d reflect on the positives that have emerged for me and will be valuable leadership lessons going forward.

1. Slowing down and connecting

Last Easter, I wrote about how the pandemic had forced us to slow down and spend time as a family. Most recently, we learnt this lesson again when we on the Northern Beaches of Sydney were locked down, rather suddenly, over Christmas. It was sad for many who couldn’t be travel to be with their families, but we did appreciate the people who were around us. Some locals got together (we were allowed 12!) and had ‘orphans’ Christmases to keep each other company.

It’s also forced us to think about connection as we adjust our lives to the pandemic. Once the normal activities of our lives such as meeting a friend for coffee become disrupted, we appreciate them more. And, everyone has had to make a conscious effort to engage with others in different ways.

2. Community is important

In the same way that horses have an instinctive need to live in herds, we humans need others too!

It’s been lovely to see communities pulling together to help each other through the pandemic. Again, this happened here over the Christmas lockdown. People braved long queues to get tested in large numbers and checked in on neighbours who were lonely and cut off from family.

You’ll often see notes on our local community board, offering to pick up groceries and run other errands for the vulnerable!

3. Learning should be continual

The pandemic age has had an impact on the way we learn. Consumption of online content doubled in 2020, and online courses were offered to help people acquire new skills and keep up with the job market.

We saw this in our own business. As we pivoted courses online, we had people enrolling who’d been meaning to do the course for years, but never had the time to travel here in person.  

Learning is always valuable, even when it’s a skill that’s not directly related to the job you do, like photography or cooking.

And of course, negotiating technology like video conferencing has been a valuable (if painful) learning experience!

5. It’s essential to know how to adapt

We’ve all become familiar with the term ‘pivot’ and many, including us, have had to change the way we work and run our businesses. However, learning to survive in a changing world is a skill that will stay with us forever.

My horses are very good at keeping me grounded during times of change, as are family and friends. I hope you find the same.

6. Be grateful

The pandemic has been a reminder that I’m very lucky to live where I do. Not everything is back to normal, but we’re doing very well by comparison. I’m well, as are my loved ones, so I’m grateful.

What have you learnt in the past year? Let me know in the comments.

Want to learn some new skills? Our courses are available in-person and online. Shoot us an email info@lepd.com.au

Your presence: the best present you can give this holiday season…and always

There are two sides to presence – each as important as the other. One is your presence, the very essence of who you are. And the other is being present in terms of giving the ones you are with your full attention and living in the moment without distraction.

The value of presence

You know those people that when they enter a room you simply feel their presence? What is it about them that draws you in? It can’t be put down to physical attributes, or a job title. Those people all have one thing in common. They are all fully present when engaging with others.  Our personal and professional presence is the essence of who we are and while it may seem that some people are just born with it, we can work on building our presence.

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned from being around horses is to do with presence. Horses always remind you about presence, and when a half-tonne animal reminds you about something, it’s impossible to ignore the message. For example, my horse Opal will stop taking my lead if I’m not present, and either take the lead herself or zone out completely by dozing. Our mare, Kylie, will simply remove herself from a situation and eat grass. And our spirited Darcy will start picking up the arena equipment in his mouth and shake it around. 

When you aren’t present with your colleagues, they will also notice  – and, while not always so obvious, their reactions may be paralleled to those of our horses. OK, your colleague won’t eat grass, but they may well zone out, check messages on their phone, or start fidgeting.

Even though we know this, we can struggle to remain in the present moment – we’re on an important Zoom meeting but thinking about the next one, or we are so worried about getting our message across, we don’t truly listen to the rest of the team’s input. The good news is that being present is a skill we can practice and improve.

Some tips for remaining present

Being present in the moment is not something that necessarily comes easily to us. So, here are a few things that may help.

• Be mindful

Mindfulness helps us to be present in the now. There are lots of resources out there which can train us to do this better, such as Headspace. At Leading Edge, we collaborate with Marshall Dunn to run the mindfulness and mediation sessions at our Retreats. His thoughtful and wholistic approach to overall wellbeing and mental health gives people the tools to be personally present in all aspects of their daily lives.

Set your boundaries, and respect others’ boundaries

Sometimes, bosses or clients expect we will just keep working every evening or through our holidays. And, it’s up to us to make it clear what we can and can’t do.

For holidays, perhaps try drafting an email letting clients or colleagues know when you will be away and expect to be back. Learning to say no to out-of-hours work tactfully but firmly isn’t easy, but it can be done.

And, if you’re a leader, it’s also important to set an example. Don’t send your team emails at 2:00am (I once had an otherwise excellent boss who used to do just that) or they will think they are obliged to as well.

• Unplug from technology

If you do need to do a bit of work when you’re out of the office, perhaps try keeping it to certain times of the day and avoid carrying your phone around with you, particularly when you’re doing activities like playing with children or having dinner. No one likes it when someone they are supposed to be spending time with is just looking at their phone!

When someone is talking to you, try to focus on actively listening to what they’re saying – rather than letting your mind wander.

Do you have any tips for remaining present? Let us know! For more information or to register for our free upcoming Wholistic Leadership webinar, send us an email info@lepd.com.au