With the continued challenges of COVID-19, many of us are working in unknown times. You may wonder, how can you perform at a high level, when it seems the rules of the game are constantly changing?
In many cases, you’ll be working in chaos but you can restore some order and structure to your day. I’m reminded of my TV news days, when I was covering flooding from the Ohio River.
At the time, several communities were being affected by the relentlessly rising waters. While it was important to cover the story of people fighting to save their home, it was hard to reach.
Our news car was very low to the ground and would likely get stuck in flooding. We had to go through flooded areas to get to the story. My photographer and I would have to leave our car behind and try to hitch a ride to where the action was taking place.
These trips saw us ride in the bed of a pickup truck, balance on the back of a tractor, and jump into small boats.
In every case, we understood these were one way trips. The person who gave us the lift, had to deal with his or her own flooding crisis and couldn’t take us back to our car.
We were working in unknown times but we had to trust things would work out. Not taking the chance, wouldn’t get us the story. It was worth risking not knowing how we could get back to the car to file our report.
We were lucky things usually worked out and we were thankful to those who helped us. From those stressful moments, I realized when you’re in uncontrolled situations, you can control your reaction to them. Consider these tips to help you with working in unknown times:
Limit What You Worry About
I’m sure you have a lot to worry about right now. Can you prioritize it to just one thing?
When I was at the flood, I was just worried about covering the story. I wasn’t worried about getting back to the news car, when I’d get out of wet clothes, or where I’d get my next meal. These were important things but I couldn’t immediately do anything about them.
If you can narrow your focus, you can reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed.
You’re Not Alone
Stressful situations can lead to feelings of isolation. It’s important to realize others are feeling pain as well.
During the flood, I was worried about my story but others were worried about losing their homes to the fast rising waters.
Being sympathetic to others is important during these times. Sometimes there is nothing you can do to help someone, other than showing kindness and understanding. While it’s a small gesture, it may have a tremendous impact.
Send Perfection on Vacation
It’s good to have high standards but let go of the need for things to be perfect. Just getting through a challenging day should be considered a victory.
We often only celebrate those days that are filled with sales records, customer acquisitions, and other financial milestones.
Now, it’s probably smart to redefine success. In the end, navigating unexpected challenges may represent you and your team at your best.
Ken Okel Performs Virtual Keynotes
