COVID 19: Mission Report

"Leadership requires a belief in the mission and unyielding perseverance to achieve victory."

-Jocko Willink

Much time has been spent talking about our collective mission and the ultimate 'victory over Covid.' Here are my personal reflections / "Captain's Log" if you will, of the last 12+ months.

Number of days in the pandemic: 400

Number of days since being in the office: 402

How the last 12 months have felt: Home Confinement

Had to learn to: Work-from-home (#wfh)

Most surprised at: That it became political

Most concerned over: My 95-year old mother

Had to work hard at: Helping my kids take it seriously

Most frustrated over: People in public arguing about wearing masks

Most tired of: Wearing a mask

Most want to do: Dinner out with friends, ballgames and live events

Most sad over: All the tragedy surrounding the loss of life

What we may have needed to do better: A stronger and more unified social compact

Most hoped for: To be better prepared the next time

1^st Vaccination: Last night

How I felt before: Both a little anxious and excited

How I felt after: A wee bit itchy

How I feel today: Huge sigh of relief

#1 Feeling moving forward: Optimism

Life lesson learned: Life is short and unpredictable

Business lesson learned: You can be productive anywhere

Most overused, but, very true quote: "This too shall pass"

We probably all still have a ways to go, but, as of right now, it seems like we are on the path back. Maybe not "back-to-normal", too much has happened to go back to the way things were. It will be to whatever the "new-normal(s)" will look like.

The pandemic has been an accelerant to the changes that were already taking hold in our daily personal and work lives. What's to come is yet to be seen and maybe not what the experts think or can predict.

But, wherever it takes us, the Mission Report indicates to me, that we are on our way…

Brian Butler is the VP Business Development of The Allied Group and TAGmedica. He is also the author of two books: Find 'Em Get 'Em Keep 'Em and the recently released In Search Of...Customers!