Overcoming Isolation During COVID-19 and Beyond
While we may not yet have a cure for COVID-19, we do have a cure for the isolation, fear, and anxiety that many of us are experiencing as a result.
Overcoming Isolation During COVID-19 and Beyond
While we may not yet have a cure for COVID-19, we do have a cure for the isolation, fear, and anxiety that many of us are experiencing as a result. These silent killer pandemics can be overcome when we lean on our closest connections. Sounds easy, right? Well, while somewhat amusing, the videos circulating about people scrambling to find alternatives to being quarantined with family, even in the face of exposing themselves and others to danger. I believe this is also very telling. In truth, we struggle to meaningfully connect.
When times are “good,” we become so focused on our doing — metrics, the bottom line, the pursuit of happiness, etc. — that we insidiously begin to neglect that which is foundational to our lives: building meaningful relationships. Our identities get so wrapped up in our pursuits that when they fall apart, so do we. Hence, when a crisis arises and we need those meaningful connections most, because we haven’t been tending to them, they too, are unstable. Fortunately, some respond intuitively by working on building those meaningful connections. However, others respond by further isolating themselves.
Although this is true in every area of our lives, the focus here is on our lives at work, and more specifically, leadership. This pandemic is exponentially increasing this uncertainty, fear, anxiety, and isolation in a workforce that was already struggling under the weight of these things. The cure here is the same: leaning on close connections. Therefore, companies that focus on hiring, promoting, and developing leaders (at every level) that understand that their role is to build these meaningful connections with and among their people, and not just in a crisis, will have a built-in competitive advantage that will be extremely difficult to replicate and compete with.
The devastating impacts of COVID-19 are forcing governments and scientist to pull out all the stops to find a cure to ensure the health and wellbeing of their people. Companies that don’t apply a laser focus to implementing the cure for isolation, fear, and anxiety in their workforce will only ensure its spread, ultimately negatively impacting the health and wellbeing of their people and their bottom line.