PLANADVISER - March/April 2020 - 2

publisher's note //
How Will We Move Forward?
A COUPLE OF NIGHTS AGO I watched
a webcast with a time management
expert who purported to help parents
find balance as, in this unprecedented
time of social distancing
and stay-at-home orders, we work
and parent at home. For most of the
webcast, I found myself thinking that
the expert was just too optimistic.
In theory, her principles were wonderful-keep work
and home life in separate spaces at home; clearly delineate
hours between activities; and make time for the right kind
of priorities. She suggested this was time for us to reset our
lives, spend less time on screens, get more sleep and take
better care of us. Practically speaking, I thought she needed
a reality check-I've gotten less time for sleep and spent
more time on screens since social-distancing began. It's
clear that we are woefully unprepared for anything like this.
I've worked from home off and on throughout my career,
and this is not working from home.
Things are changing rapidly. This afternoon as we
prepare to go to print, the news is that more than 5,000
people have died in the U.S. from the disease, and today's
unemployment figures showed a record 6.6 million initial
jobless claims. By the time you read this, who knows what
those numbers will be? They'll grow, but by how much?
The country will get through this, but things will not be
the same on the other side. It's difficult to comprehend and,
frankly, hard to conceptualize what the " after " of this will be,
because there will be an after, and the before and after will
exist likely in everyone's personal and professional lives.
Realize that just a few weeks ago there were so many
things we took for granted, enjoyable or not: the daily
commute, a trip to see clients, in-person reviews, collaboration
in the office, going to the playground with our kids,
meeting friends for happy hour or dinner. How quickly
things change. And how thankful I am for those who support
my ability to socially distance by continuing their work as
farmers, warehouse workers, grocery store clerks, delivery
people and, of course, the medical and health care providers
who put their lives on the line every day in continuing their
essential duties.
As many of us are lucky enough to continue our jobs
remotely, we still have to focus on keeping our businesses
strong and helping those businesses we support. There's a
bit of a grieving process for the before, as months of lockdown
will oblige us to say goodbye to those things we
took for granted, and to appreciate what we can do now to
continue our connections with colleagues, clients and the
outside world.
A recent McKinsey & Co. paper that was forwarded to
me says, " In this unprecedented new reality, we will witness
a dramatic restructuring of the economic and social order
in which business and society have traditionally operated.
And in the near future, we will see the beginning of discussion
and debate about what
the next normal could entail
and how sharply its contours
will diverge from those that
previously shaped our lives. "
The writers identified five
" R " s that will be the path to
the next normal:
resolve,
resilience, return, reimagination
and reform. " The duration
of each stage will vary
based on geographic and
industry context, and institutions
may find themselves
operating in more than one
stage simultaneously, " the
The country
will get
through this,
but things will
not be the
same on the
other side.
article said. " Collectively, these five stages represent the
imperative of our time: The battle against COVID-19 is one
that leaders today must win if we are to find an economically
and socially viable path to the next normal. "
As we all work to do our jobs to the best of our abilities
in this difficult environment, we must examine how we live
and work, and determine what our " after " will look like. Is
how you use technology now going to change your business
and client or colleague relationships? Will you rethink the
level of communication with your clients and participants?
This unforeseen circumstance may provide you with the
opportunity to examine your businesses and forge a meaningful
path forward. As the McKinsey piece says, " Institutions
that reinvent themselves to make the most of better
insight and foresight, as preferences evolve, will disproportionally
succeed. " Let your business be one of those.
Alison Cooke Mintzer
Publisher, PLANADVISER
2 | planadviser.com March-April 2020
http://www.planadviser.com
PLANADVISER - March/April 2020

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