EM 171 | Are You Ready for Re-entry Pt 1

In this week’s Executive Minds, Kevin Jennings, Jeff Henderson, and Shane Benson ask the question, “Are you ready for re-entry?”. This is part one of a two-part series meant to prepare you for stepping back into your work environment and how that affects your family or team. Patience is required when we find ourselves in an unpleasant place at an unpleasant pace. So give yourself patience and let’s not waste this moment. The MNTR team discusses some guideposts meant to orient your thinking as you get ready for reentry. We want you to know you are not alone. Tune in for some great insights!

Links + Resources

Henry Cloud - Boundaries: When To Say Yes...

Three Takeaways:

What Do You Want to Hold On to?

There were things that were part of your life before COVID-19 that you’ve come to realize are critical. These are the practices and routines that you want to keep in your life moving forward even if they have to look different. For some of us, it is exercise. Without access to the gym, we might have built a personal gym area or bought home workout items in order to keep that practice going. Perhaps it’s our morning reading and devotion time. Because days start earlier virtually, then we may have to wake up earlier to ensure we get the time. The key is that our brains recognize this global pandemic for the trauma it is and it’s experienced through extreme bouts of helplessness. Sticking to a schedule and enforcing routines provide a feeling of control that can ground us. Our brains desire structure and pinpointing what you want to hold on to will help you develop it.

What Do You Want to Double-Down On?

You may have gained a perspective that you never had before as a result of the circumstances. There may be things that you neglected or weren’t part of your life altogether, but have become routine in this pandemic reality and you’d like to commit to them moving forward. It could be taking more walks, having traditional family meals, or prioritizing your health through exercise and proper eating. It could be facetiming with family members on a regular basis or video conferencing with your team with the expectation that the video will be on. Perhaps it’s being more transparent by showing the work in progress and admitting what you don’t know to your family or team while you figure it out. Finally, it could be communication in general. If you don’t double-down on communication, then uncertainty will double-down on you. Make a point to converse with your team and family on a consistent basis, informing and encouraging them, so that everyone stays on the same page.

What Do You Need to Let Go Of?

When COVID hit, many of us had to suspend our plans and eventually rebuild them from scratch. Life as we know it was gone. At this moment, we discovered that some things weren’t critical and experienced the freedom to pivot in ways we thought impossible before. There are things we were forced to cut off and don’t want to pick them up as we reenter our workspaces. It could be the long commutes or long, unproductive meetings. Virtual meetings have created a more focused and clear meeting cadence that you might wish to retain. It could be the hectic or jam-packed days with little wiggle-room or margin. Make a conscious effort to spread your to-do list out over the week in a more efficient way. Maybe it’s letting go of the idea that you have to do it all by yourself and inviting others to share the load. Or finally, it might be just giving yourself permission to change more often. We had the ability to pivot BEFORE the global pandemic, but the circumstance has created the opportunity to better clarify our focus. Don’t lose sight of that feeling moving forward.