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.
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.
Early in my career, I had the privilege of working with a highly progressive leader who saw the immense value in coaching to support growth. At the time, I remember feeling young and invincible, but incredibly overwhelmed. Looking back, I was also extremely naive. As I sat with my executive coach for our first session, I remember the details of room and view from beyond the window. I had no idea at the time what I was getting myself into or how profound the coaching experience would be for me.
By Julie Klein, MHA, BSN, FACHE and Barb Ward
Nurses have always served a critical role in the care of patients, but never before have circumstances illustrated so clearly how much nurses do to make a difference.