COVID-19 has certainly changed the world, as we know it. The question is, what opportunities have presented themselves to you personally and professionally?
Opportunity is ever-present – if you are prepared to look for it
The youngest of my five children is nine years old. Over the weekend, he went to the dormant keyboard, discovered its batteries were flat and set about finding new batteries. He only found two, but the keyboard requires six batteries.
“Can you take me to Bunnings to get some new batteries, please Dad?”
“Why do you want some batteries, son?” I asked.
“Well, they are saying that school will probably shut down, and we may have to stay at home a lot. I’ve always wanted to learn how to play our keyboard, and I figure I can find some lessons on YouTube and teach myself how to play if I can’t go to school.”
“Good thinking! Let’s go!” I responded, and off we went to buy the batteries we needed.
What an excellent attitude. Instead of focusing on the negatives about the possibility of having to stay at home, here was my nine-year-old son looking for something positive.
Online practice
Similarly, my wife’s school has decided that, unless the government closes all schools, next Monday they will have a practice run where all students will stay at home, and the teachers will be at school where they can practice using online teaching tools. Most of the teachers at the school don’t know how to use these tools yet, so the school has set up a practice day where the teachers will be able to practice their online classes while they have immediate support available to them. Most of the teachers, including my wife, are experiencing a steep learning curve which is one hundred per cent okay. On Tuesday, all students will return to school where everyone will have the opportunity to reflect on the experience and make improvements, in the probable scenario where the school will be shut down for an extended period.
Work from home
Numerous clients of mine have already switched to a significant increase in ‘work-from-home‘ practices. In many cases, this is also being used as a means of testing out how it works and what support may be required to make it easier. A number of these organisations have been reluctant to support working from home in the past because of concerns about productivity. But, here they are testing it out. COVID-19 has created a situation where they are now open to the possibility, if not probability that ‘keeping the doors open’ is going to heavily rely on the capacity of staff to work from home.
I have been hosting online programs and executive coaching via online tools since 2009. David, one of my clients that I have been working with since 2012, messaged me and said, “We’re ahead of the curve with our Skype sessions!“. As a result, many clients have already moved all their in-person sessions online. The experience will be new for most of the people involved, but their overwhelming mindset is, “Let’s give it a try!“.
Write my second book
I urge you to do the same. Follow all the healthcare advice that you are being provided and do everything you can to keep yourself and your family safe and healthy. At the same time, look for the opportunities that are presenting themselves to you. Personally, the speed of writing my second book is being increased as I anticipate I’ll be doing less travel and even more work online.
I’m looking forward to getting it finished!
Until next time, stay safe.
Gary Ryan helps talented professionals, their teams and organisations, move Beyond Being Good®