It’s time to RE…

As we begin to move away from what seems to have been the hardest few months of lockdown, I have been discussing with lots of clients, business owners, colleagues and friends the idea of it being a time for us to RE…

We are in the midst of the biggest global change that we have ever had to face within our lifetimes. This is a state of being like nothing we have ever known because we are all going through it together; yet our individual experience of the pandemic is different from one another. You’re not imagining it; nobody seems to want to talk right now. Messages are brief and replies late. Meetings are postponed. Talk of video catch ups are perpetually put on hold. It’s not you! It’s everyone.

We are fatigued. We are unsure of what will happen next. The outlook is optimistic, and business looks set to jump back. Yet at the moment many of us are being cautious and waiting tentatively to take our next step. We are tired of saying ‘I can’t wait for this to end’; so we say nothing, keep our heads down and get through each day.

Depending on where you are at, and how you have been doing, is it now the time for you to Re..? Re-focus? Re-start? Re-motivate? Re-invent? Re-emerge?

Re-emerge

verb: re-emerge
emerge again; come into sight or prominence once more.

The idea of now being the time to RE, is based on the idea that things have changed. What will it be like for you as you continue in new and different ways? Your customers have changed and are working differently, it is time for you to do the same. Take back your prominence and excite your customers even more than before.

Here are a few RE’s to think about as you begin to move forward…

Re-Plan:

To Plan again, to make a different plan than the one you had before. What has changed in your customers business and how much does your plan need to change to reflect this? It would be very easy for us to move forward with the plans as they were, which might be the right way forward for you. If everything has changed, then what do you need to re-plan?

Re-Focus:

Some of us may have become unfocused recently. Or may be so focused in one direction we may not be seeing the other options. Take some time to look around and re-focus your attention. Write down your top priorities…and keep them in view. Identify what does NOT deserve your attention. Cut out the distractions and stop all that multi-tasking.

Re-Learn:

The concept of unlearning and relearning has never been more relevant. As the futurist Alvin Toffler wrote: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” Take some time to understand your own skill set and what you may need to learn, unlearn and relearn.

Re-Connect:

The dictionary definition of re-connect is ‘to join or be joined with something else again after becoming separated’. Who are all the people you need to re-connect with? Who have you lost contact within the last year that you can re-connect with and continue to build relationships?

 Re-Board:

Many millions of people are beginning to return to work from being furloughed. The biggest mistake businesses can make right now is to simply slide back to work without a thought of how. Take some time to think how we can re-motivate, re-connect and re-board yourself, your people, and your customers.

Re-flect:

Something that reflects comes back to you. If you look in a mirror, you will see your reflected image. If you reflect on your past experiences, you look at them once again thoughtfully. What can you reflect on from the past that can support you moving forward? What new confidence do you have? What can you learn about yourself?

What is your RE that you need to do right now to help you grow?

I have heard several people call 2020 a write-off, a time where things were allowed to slide. We prefer to Re-Frame this as a year of pivotal moments. The global pandemic has been truly devastating and the effects are far reaching for us all, yet during this time there have also been many positives. It has allowed us time to look at current working practices. It has supercharged change and led to shifts in traditional ways of working that may have otherwise taken years or even decades to happen. My biggest highlight is how much it has made us realise, again, that it’s our human skills that will get us through our toughest challenges, and that as we re-board, re-focus, and re-connect it is people that will always be the most important thing for us as we Re-Grow.

Ric Hayden is the Owner and Managing Director of LearningCog.

LearningCog specialise in developing and supporting businesses with skills and knowledge they need to succeed and grow.

www.learningcog.com