The coronavirus pandemic may now be slowly drifting into history, at least in the United States. Vigilance is still necessary. But the contraction of the medical emergency does not mean the viruses’ 16-month spectacle of social and cultural upheaval is drawing to a close. We now are only beginning to grapple with COVID’s long-term effects on everything from politics to education. One major area of disruption — work — occupied my days across the pandemic. As a veteran leadership coach and mentor, I helped leaders in different fields navigate COVID’s perplexing currents. And for much of this year, as we began to put the healthcare crisis behind us, I collaborated with leaders around the country about how to lead through and out of the pandemic.
In this series, I explore six practices that I believe will help all leaders — and by extension, the organizations they manage — thrive amidst so much social and cultural transformation. We kick off the series with the importance of connection.