“After 7 months of riding the pandemic rollercoaster, I recently experienced some penny-drop moments that I wanted to share with you. First, I realised that I need to embrace the fact that there will be no such thing as a ‘going back to normal’. This is a reset not a mere bump in the road, it’s a pivot point not a mere interruption. There will only be many parallel ‘new normals' – and they will differ widely depending on where we are located (Switzerland, in my case), what economic situation we’re in and whether our political leadership is capable or not. There is no uniform response to this crisis and the challenges it presents us with, and no ‘AI’ will provide us with meaningful advise on the tough social, cultural or political issues we are now facing.
The very word ‘normal’ has become kind of useless, and the idea of ‘business as usual’ is becoming laughable, as well. Instead, attempting to ‘pivot’ (switching horses in midstream) has become our new routine. Just ask AirBnB, Uber or Carnival Cruises, or any airline CEO, event organiser, restaurant owner or… futurist!
“…The role of the state, and government in general has exploded during this crisis, and it has become clear that if we can't trust that our leaders and our government officials know what to do (and to actually do the right thing), emergency situations tend to get much worse, quickly. Strong, informed, clear-haded and science-based as well as compassionate leadership is now utterly essential, and it’s probably not a coincidence that countries led by women such as New Zealand, Iceland, Taiwan, Finland, Germany and Switzerland have fared much better in dealing with this crisis. Faith in leaders is turning out to be crucial in flattening the infection curve, and reducing fatalities.
My personal bottom line is this: I am learning many good lessons during this crisis. I am questioning many outdated assumptions. I am rethinking my own narratives. I am adapting and practicing my pivots, and I am refocussing on what really matters.
Maybe the future is indeed ‘better than we think’.
