Viruses, social distancing, Zoom meetings; OH MY! What can kill your mojo faster than a worldwide pandemic?
But the time for hand-wringing and whining has passed. And one of the things King has been working on lately is making sure the culture we created over 20 years doesn’t slip away in one long germ-induced stupor. While COVID has a big impact, it should NOT define us.
If your organization is like ours, you had some (maybe many) traditions which made your team feel … well, like a team. Pizza party Fridays, book lending library, summer picnics. One of ours was having an all-team lunch meeting on Fridays. We went to rotating local restaurants, and it was part social, part creative brainstorming. But COVID has made group lunches a no-no. So now we’re trying doing our get-togethers via Zoom with GrubHub food deliveries to all.
Is it the same? No. Is it worse? No. It’s what we make it to be. Our weekly road trip lunch meetings weren’t always fabulous. Honestly, it was slow going getting people to think creatively when in a food coma. But we collectively persisted, and made it amazing over time. Now that we’ve pivoted, we’re having to reinvent our previously discovered mojo, but it’s gonna happen. Because the alternative is not acceptable.
Don’t fall prey to letting outside forces determine how you engage your team, or build and sustain a culture. Think about those things you used to do, whether intentional or accidental, that made you special. And make it happen again. And we’re here for you! If you’re struggling to recreate the magic in this new world, give us a ring. We might just help you find the perfect solution over lunch … on Friday 🙂
