Being comfortable, being uncomfortable

Recently, while conducting an interview, I was asked - what is Degreed's stance on the current situation our world is in? They clarified…this is a great opportunity to be selling Degreed and the power of virtual learning platforms - how are you approaching it?

 This individual is not wrong. It's a great time to work for a company that has the ability to solve for one of the biggest challenges organizations are facing as a result of the biggest challenge our world is facing:

Engaging a remote workforce during a global pandemic. (Go ahead and say that one three times fast. Yikes!)

 Now, assuming you haven't been living under a rock for the last two weeks you know that there is a right way and a wrong way to address this situation, this question. We can approach this as humans - individuals who are more than a stock symbol, a dollar sign, a pipeline forecast. Or…we can be the other people.

My response - we're approaching it as humans. This week, next week, the following, and for however long it takes for me, my team, this company and every other company in the world to adapt to a new normal, which also happens to change daily. Because the thing that I love most about the company I work for, is that we are all humans. A collection of about 500 humans that all feel and see what every other person and company is going through. And we've chosen to band together to ask "how can we help" or offer up a "what if we tried this."

 But it's important to know why we would all answer that question from the interview in the same way. It's important to understand why it's true to our core. The best way to show that is to paraphrase our CEO....

In a recent internal communication regarding the state of our country he opened his note by reaffirming that priorities 1, 2, 3 and 4 are the health and safety of ourselves and our families. Our physical and mental well being. And because we've had that message of support from day 1, it's been instinctual to extend the same sentiment to our clients, our prospects and our partners. "Secure your own mask before helping others…"but always help others.

 The reality of all of this is that change is hard. Really hard. And for the last few weeks our workforce, our world, has been asked to change daily. Sometimes multiple times in one day. "The only thing constant in life is change," which means change is our new normal.

 But this simple question: "how are you approaching the opportunity," got me thinking.

 There IS a ton of opportunity. Especially for technology organizations. You might even say this is our moment. This is what we've been waiting for. The people can't go to their physical offices, they need remote technology, they have time to learn - aim, set, strike! And the harsh reality, the nature of the beast, is this: many of us are in sales. If we're not thinking about opportunity then we don't have a job…plain and simple.

 It's that thought, however, that led me to some reflection…which ultimately led me to an eye opening realization.

 Over the last year I've sat in countless meetings where I've shared stories of companies that have fallen behind, encountered billions in restructuring costs, closed their doors indefinitely - all due to their lack of agility and adaptability. I can be heard citing digital disruption, changing consumer preferences, an inability to keep up with the key skills needed to grow revenues and optimize efficiency as the drivers.

 Let's get a show of hands…how many of you have felt all of those things, this week…maybe even just today alone?

 Digitally, I've been bombarded with emails and slacks and LinkedIn messages and all of the modes of communication one uses when they can't see your face or physical person.

Consumer preferences…yep, those too. They've changed. For instance, the people that like face to face meetings…they don’t always love the webcam. And it's not just at work - my at home consumers want lunch and activities and snacks (seriously, why so many snacks?). Also, since when are consumers inside my home, during my working hours? Who invited these people here?

And the inability to keep up with the key skills - nailed it. I am accepting (no, denying) the harsh reality that I am now a full time working mother plus a school teacher, plus a chef, plus a house keeper, plus…plus…plus… (I also spend a significant amount of my time scolding my parents to STAY AT HOME. Seriously…I know you're reading this. Mom, Dad, STAY AT HOME!!!) In fact, when you couple all of those together I'm actually pretty terrible at all of them. So successfully, I'm none of them.

 That's when it hit me. If I were sitting in a meeting, with myself, right now. Listening to myself talk about how I could help solve for all of these disruptions, these changing preferences, these new people invading my workspace…what would I really want? What would help me most today?

 It's ok, don't feel bad if you don't have the answer right away. I've had this post drafted for nearly a week without an answer. But today, I have it!

 I want the right skills.

I want to skills to be able to keep up with the pace of change. I want the skills to be a good parent, a good teacher, a good leader. But I also want the skills to be able to pivot at a moments notice. The skill of learning how to learn. I want the skills to accept that each day will bring me new and different challenges, and the way I work through them is how I continue to build new skills and identify the next ones I need to master.

 So if you've made it this far and you're wondering why on earth am I sharing this with you…let me be honest. It's because I was called out about a month ago in an interview for not writing on LinkedIn when I promised (nearly a year ago) that I would be a more regular content contributor. There you have it…you've read this far so I could make good on a commitment I got called out on. Thank you for your service, have a great day!

 Ok, ok. I'm kidding. Partially.

 The real reason I share this story and these thoughts is to say…these days are hard. If you're anything like me you've had to coach yourself through the harsh reality of our new world multiple times per day. And maybe you're starting your days with more coffee than usual (guilty). And ending them with more wine than usual (guilty again). That's ok. It's more than ok.

In our new world of uncertainty and change, we are all showing up, every single day, to our first day on the job. We are exposing all of the comforts we've left behind and all of the things we have yet to learn, every.single.day. First days are really hard.

 So have your hard days. Embrace them. Hell, flaunt them. But be intentional with them. Know that each hard day brings you a level higher in the mastery of a skill you perhaps didn’t have before. Whether that skill is learning how to learn, adapting to change, or home schooling a 1st grader.

 If you can keep that mindset we're all going to emerge from this experience better and WAY more skilled than we were going in…and we're going to be well positioned to tackle the strange new world we're heading towards.

...now if only we could find a way to transact on those skills… (anyone? anyone? Bueller?)

Note: yes, the part about being called out during and interview for not writing on LinkedIn as I had promised is 100% true. I'd be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to the individual who did it and let them know how much I admire their boldness…perhaps a skill I will work on more myself!