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Blog
In the Northern Hemisphere of Planet Earth, at 10:02 Greenwich Mean Time on December 21, we mark the Winter Solstice. It’s the shortest day of the astronomical year with the least amount of daylight and longest period of darkness. We were warned that this would be a long, dark winter and, indeed, here we find ourselves. In dark times--literally and, in many ways, metaphorically--as we persist together and apart in our own unique ways through the winter of a global pandemic. Many have experienced illness and death in our inner circles. And everyone has experienced, in some way, the loss of connection, gathering, fellowship, laughter, hugs--the “normal” day-to-day things we used to take for granted. There is a collective sense of sadness and grief that we don’t have to try very hard to tap into.
I’ve noticed this year as we head into the holiday season that more of my neighbors than ever before have put up festive lights. Even those who have always done them, have added to their impressive displays. In our household, my youngest daughter asked to put her indoor Christmas tree up before October had even come to a close. And we decided to put up our family tree and decorated our house a whole week before Thanksgiving—instead of the day after as has been our tradition forever. After a brutal year that continues to throw uncertainty and change our way, I believe we are in a season where we need something normal to look forward to, something that offers hope. And what offers more hope than Christmas?
The holiday season is quickly approaching and we find ourselves in circumstances that many epidemiologists and data scientists anticipated over the summer months: a new surge in COVID-19 cases across the nation. The Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) are telling us that indoor gatherings, even of our close team members and extended families, are putting us at greater risk than we might imagine and recommending that we refrain from celebrating the holidays this year in ways we’re accustomed to.
Deep conversations are the basis for meaningful relationships that propel us as a society. When we grow and develop together, anything is possible.
Fall is about harvest. We celebrate, from September through Thanksgiving, the abundance and bounty available to us. This year felt different and, despite difficulties we have managed. There is much to celebrate.
At Innovative Connections, our team is grateful for the continued opportunities to serve you. Our mission has always been to “give voice and action to an emerging future”. This required agility this year and being in the dance has offered opportunities for learning and growth.
Decades (perhaps centuries) of academic research has gone into developing strategies for effectively managing change in the organizational environment. Yet, “getting through” changes and transition is always surprisingly difficult.
The last six months has tested every one of our teachings around change. Business guidelines are changing rapidly, our workforce has entered into more virtual environments, parents (and hence employees) are balancing changing structures in their home lives, like schooling, and stability is consistently challenged.