We Are Stronger Together

A Message from Our CEO…

I had a bad day on Sunday. I watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s (that wasn’t the bad part) and then spent most of the remainder of the day in bed. For those of you that know me, you know I score high on the Extraversion scale on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and I am an outer-edge “Influencer” in DiSC®, so low energy and seeing the glass half-empty is unlike me. However, like all of you, I am human. And yesterday, the COVID-19 situation got to me. I’ve heard some people saying, “hope and faith won’t work” and others sharing important safety tips. And yes, I am in complete agreement with the advice and steps the experts need us to follow, and I will follow them diligently. However, eliminating “hope and faith” is not an option.

My husband and business partner, Gordon, also noticed my demeanor and was concerned. He knows it is so unlike me to retreat to my bedroom instead of plugging along. I reminded myself again that we are human and thus we will respond to this disruptive change in ways that are as diverse as we are. I was brought back to Elizabeth Kubler Ross’s work, often used in change management programs. She says that as humans we grieve when there is a loss of not only someone dear to us, but something dear to us as well. Grieving is part of the human experience. It is natural and necessary. And, we are grieving right now for the loss of a workstyle and lifestyle we all enjoyed together. 

This grieving process isn’t always linear, but it does follow a fairly consistent progression of emotions. First there is denial, anger, and bargaining, followed by bouts of depression until we finally accept our reality.

I’m happy to say that today is a better day than Sunday, as I feel I am in the “acceptance” phase. And my acceptance has created the emotional and intellectual capacity I needed to take control back and get stuff done. How we conduct our work, learn, develop and stay connected will look and feel different for some time, but it’s an opportunity we can embrace right now. I can’t think of a more compassionate, kind gesture at the moment than to bring people together to maintain a sense of community.

I’ve been using some of the recent downtime to focus on my overall health and wellbeing. I started using my stationary bike more frequently, and it has reminded me of the word peloton, which is the main group of cyclists in a race. A peloton is important to cyclists because the energy it creates is far greater than what individual cyclists can generate.

So, I have an idea. I’m going to set up a time for us to come together each week to support each other as we race to the end of this pandemic. We can call it Pel-law-ton (I love creative wordplay). These virtual hangouts will be a time to share good news and practical information with each other, as well as a much-needed source of genuine support. You can “ride” in when you want and leave when you need to.

If you would like to participate, please email me at natalie@loebleadership.com and ask me to add you to our Pel-law-ton. I’ll create some guidelines for us to follow and I will handle all of the administrative aspects. And it certainly wouldn’t hurt to practice being a virtual team member.

I hope to see you all on-line. We are stronger together.  Please stay well and continue to follow the guidance by the experts!  Warmly, Natalie.

PS: To learn more about Elizabeth Kubler Ross’s work, click here.