I want to shout STOP. STOP it already.
We’re in the midst of an extraordinary shift in how we conduct our lives. Many businesses are in turmoil because of new tariffs, shifting global tariff rules, the unpredictability of how anything will work, just a week down the line. Fundamental disruptions. Chaos.
Our lives are irrevocably changing.
And yet I hear it all around me. I should be doing more. I’m not doing enough.
If you work in a global corporation, you’re responding at lightning speed to constant external change. And yet you may feel you’re not as productive as you normally are.
Let me be clear. You are traumatized. You’re doing enough.
STOP it. Enough is enough.
The action demon is the voice of our insidious cultural conditioning that says whatever we’re doing is not enough.
I did a TEDx talk about this a few years ago. Never enough.
These days, I find myself thinking of a press conference the then-mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, held on March 20, 2020. The start of another highly disruptive time. The onslaught of the pandemic had just irrevocably upended all of our lives. Garcetti suggested the following:
It’s OK to feel sad. It’s OK to feel angry. It’s Ok to hope.
This as Garcetti was mobilizing his city. It is helpful advice and a very fine place to start. More helpful than working faster and harder until we feel nothing.
For the last 20 years, corporations have taught classes for managers about how to lead others through change. While programs vary from firm to firm, they all tend to incorporate two frames: The tactics John P. Kotter outlines in his book “Leading Change,” and the 5 stages of grief as outlined by Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross in her classic book “On Death and Dying.”
The emotional lessons of this body of work are profound, and they all apply right now. We have just entered a period of loss. Th notion of business-as-usual has been yanked from us within days. Please bear the following thoughts in mind as you move forward.
3 Ways of Responding to DISRUPTION
It Is OK to Underperform
When we’re in shock or mourn the loss of something that matters to us (like life as we know it, yes?), it is normal to underperform. It happens in every loss process. It is to be expected. It is part of the human journey through loss.
Resist any temptation to suddenly be superwoman or superman. Wisdom says we all long to get to hope, at the end. Not the fake peppy “everything-will-be-fine” hope. No, the hope that comes from having navigated the valley. Navigate the valley. Don’t fake the hope.
Celebrate Little Wins
When life feels out of control, celebrate the small wins or accomplishments you have, every single day. They give us a sense of control in a world that seems to be coming off the rails.
If you’re unemployed or underemployed and find yourself restless at home, create small tasks that you can easily accomplish, like organizing a drawer in your closet or trimming a hedge in your garden. Simple tasks, completed without over-exertion, will reward you with a sense of control. Beware – if you start reorganizing your entire house in one day, you’ve likely stepped into never enough mode. STOP.
If you’re working in a corporate role where much of the day is spent putting out fires and minimizing damage, it is harder to feel the small successes because, well, you’re just going, going, going. Choose to find the moments when you do STOP. Ask yourself what were some of my little wins today? You will be startled by how many you actually had. A sense of calm is likely to settle in. And that is a very helpful sensation.
Ask How They Feel
Other people. Our teams. Colleagues and clients. They are our anchors in these disruptive times. They are the familiar as the unfamiliar looms larger and larger. And just as they are OUR familiar, we are THEIR familiar. They have feelings about what’s happening in the world around us just as we do.
In the midst of highly transactional work, remember to ask how the other person feels. Remember to notice how YOU feel. Don’t judge the feelings, theirs or yours. Take a moment to open the door and inquire. Drop into the human. The time for this inquiry is right now. Go there. You both will feel a sense of relief. Moving forward through the day will feel easier. You will feel less alone. That’s a very fine thing.
Even as your work may feel hectic and out of control, even as you sit at home and perhaps do not know what to do with yourself, remember. Enough is enough.
It’s OK to feel sad. It’s OK to fell angry. It’s Ok to hope.
Yes, Eric Garcetti. Wise words.
Have a wonderful week.
Related: Is Speed Undermining Your Influence? The Perils of Fast Talking