"When will we get back to 'Normal'?"

Yesterday a client asked me when I thought the world would get back to “Normal”…. 
 
I know the question was simple. However, it hit me hard. For some reason my mind suddenly struggled with the concept of what is “Normal”.  I asked her how she defined it. Her response was, “as it was…. last year or even in January”.

In the hours since, I have churned through a variety of thoughts. I reflected on how our world has changed today:
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• Total shutdown of many non-essential businesses
• Companies that had revenue one day and zero the next
• Businesses that were growing one day and at risk of failure the next
• Schools at all levels have closed their doors and are conducting classes on-line
• Working from home is no longer just a concept enjoyed by some, but a reality for the majority
• On-line commerce is an essential where once it was a convenience
• Many in-person activities are now being done virtually or not at all

 
This is not meant to be an exhaustive list.  I am sure it could go on and on. But even with these few points, the question of can there be a return to a pre-virus “Normal” sometime in the future is something that I struggle with. Should a business owner, an employee, an investor, a consumer, should you be striving for a return to “Normal”? Is it even possible?
 
My response to my client was we will never return to what was. A “New Normal” will be redefined in the weeks and months to come, if not longer. 
 
The world we live in has changed forever. The way we operate as businesses, as employers and employees and as consumers has changed forever. There is no going back to a “Normal” that was not touched by this virus and by the unprecedented actions to fight it.  I don’t care what industry you are in, what function you work, there really is no return to what was.
 
We need to start thinking of what the world, our businesses, our economy and our society will look like 3, 6, 12 months from now.  We need to stop focusing on a return to a pre-virus “Normal” and start charting what a future steady-state, or the “New Normal” will look like.  
 
We need to stop looking backward and yearning for what was and start driving forward. Those who do will survive and grow.
 
Are you waiting for “Normal” to return or are you charting a new path forward?


© 2020 – Daniel Kern, Tyler Creek Consulting