End of Year Reflections for 2020

As I sit working at my kitchen table amidst the detritus of a decidedly odd holiday, I’m reminded anew what a strange year it’s been—quite a bit different than we all envisioned at the same time last year. With so many ending the year sicker, poorer, and more divided, it’s hard not to be pessimistic as the new year starts. Despite all of this—or maybe because of it—I choose to end the year with hope, gratitude, and commitment, not because I’m Pollyanna, but because in this season of darkness, so many of us also have much to hope for, much to be grateful for, and much more to do in 2021.

Business books abound with reminding us that “hope is not a strategy.” While this is likely true, our teams, our clients, and our communities need hope now more than ever. Hope that a vaccine will come soon enough for our loved ones and our community. Hope that our businesses can continue to ride out this ever-changing storm of events. Hope that the things that divide us will be overwhelmed by our collective desire to create better and more resilient relationships. So, even if hope is not a strategy, as leaders, I think we need to strategically offer hope nonetheless to our employees, clients, and colleagues.

 In Gallup’s Strengths-Based Leadership, the authors posit that our employees need trust, compassion, stability, and hope from their business leaders. I’ve taken this idea to heart as I work with my team, reminding them daily that their work matters and that we’ll get through this challenging time as an intact team. As leaders, taking the time with each of our employees has never been more important, providing them stability in an unstable world and helping them do their best work in an uncertain time. While I kvetched about having to take an hour out of each day for our virtual “Daily Download,” I’m ending the year so thankful for this consistent time to connect, create, share, and collaborate. And I’m committed to keeping daily team engagement going when we finally come back to working face-to-face.

In times mid-year when we were lower on work than I’d have liked, we took the time to complete value-added work to strengthen our team. What a gift this has been now that our collective schedules maxed out at the end of the year. I’m grateful for my father’s advice to approach each challenge strategically, staying focused on the end goal, and always putting the needs of the team first. That’s been great advice; I’m committed to keeping it in mind for the inevitable chaos 2021 will bring our way. So long as ancient Mayans weren’t dyslexic when they created their calendar, we’ll survive the changes ahead by staying focused on the long game for our businesses and our teams.

I’m grateful every day for the people—clients, partners, team members—with whom I get to work. While we suffered the uncertainties of the market in the early days of the pandemic, we’re ending the year strongly, with new and established client and colleague relationships. I’m also grateful for technology that has enabled my team to do some of their best and most creative work to date. And I’m grateful for my team, amazed at their resilience and ability to deliver incredible work during the pandemic, including high-impact virtual partnering, presentation coaching for teams from across the globe, and in-depth strategic planning with teams we’ve never physically met.

I’m also grateful for the trust our clients place in us as we help them build relationships, develop programs, and win work. Even though the market is uncertain, your willingness to engage with us in new ways has been both gratifying and exhilarating. While at times we’ve collectively chafed at the restrictions of the virtual world, together we’ve navigated some challenging circumstances to win work and develop stronger teams. To all of you near and far, thank you for working with us, innovating with us, and trusting us with your teams and projects.

Turning to a look forward, I’m committed to continuing to build a strong and intact team, keeping us growing and resilient in the months ahead to respond to the evolving needs of our volatile market. From my kitchen or my office, I’m committed to rethinking old models to find newer ways to engage with teams, creating better proposals, interviews, and processes. The marketplace demands our very best right now, delivering better products and continuing to innovate in how we work with each other and with our clients. By looking at these challenging times as a catalyst for change, we may come out of this pandemic stronger and with new tools and strategies to fuel better work.

Finally, my team and I are committed to giving back our time and our treasure to build a better community. Many of you will note that you didn’t get chocolate from us this year; instead, we helped Housing Hope support families in Snohomish County, and I commit to doing much more of that in the months ahead. I hope you will join with us to support fair, equitable, safe, and available housing in our communities, if you are able.

So, here’s to more hope, gratitude, and commitment in 2021. The days ahead may continue to be challenging, but I choose to focus on what’s on the other side. My team and I wish you and yours the very best in this new year. May we all celebrate next year with better health and stronger connections to people and place. And, I owe each of you a chocolate bar and a hug when we see each other again.