As we enter the last month in 2020 we all want to look forward to moving towards a new year with hope and positive momentum. As leaders we cannot deny that 2020 gave us more VUCA (Volatility Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) than we could have ever imagined!  As one of our clients said, “2020 is VUCA on steroids!”

A quote that was shared with me by a learned colleague early during the pandemic has had a huge impact on my own thinking, over the last number of months;

“When the system breaks down, leaders stand-up”

As the impact of Covid was felt, I realised I needed a way to navigate my own thinking and emotions and that of the clients we work with. In an effort to address the complexity  and to make sense of what everyone was experiencing I started by asking myself some fundamental questions:

“Am I aware of the impact Covid-19 is truly having on me?”

“ Emotionally, what am I experiencing ?”

“ Is this really happening and will it go away ?”

“ How do I make sense of this and move forward ?”

As a result of my reflections and learnings, we developed a frame-work and a diagnostic called “The Five Stages of Covid-19”.

The Five Stages has been helpful for leaders by providing a language to articulate, convey and discuss the complexities experienced in 2020 and those expected in 2021. The frame-work enabled us to support leaders and their teams shape the future as they pivoted to a new world of work and address business challenges. As we move beyond each stage we can identify with different “waves” of reality and emotions. The stages are non-linear. We can move back or forth depending on our own situations and the impact Covid-19 is having at a local and global level.

Intuitively, as we move beyond Covid-19 and prepare for 2021 my sense is that we all need reassurance and hope for the future.  Many of our clients are now working on Stages 4 and 5, re-purposing and re-visioning their futures and creating the new meaning. For some, the impact has been significant and they are still processing and discovering the emotions and reality that they and their teams are continuing to experience.

I am sharing this to provide reassurance and hope to all those that read this that we will come out of this pandemic. As leaders we need to stand up and embrace the new meaning.

Reach out today to learn how leaders can benefit from “Leading with Reassurance - The Five Stages of Covid”