Fear into determination

Just before I started my nursing training I was told that I'd make lifelong friends. 28 years later and yep, that is true. Chatting with one of these friends in the UK this week using the wonder of Facebook messenger, she gave me an update on what is going on for her and her world of work in the NHS. Sharing the stories of individuals, her team and the work she has been doing blew me away. She then used this phrase that stood out and stuck with me - fear has turned into determination. In fact it brought a shiver all over. 

Fear and being scared right now makes sense  and I've heard this from a lot of people - it is full of 'not enough'. Not having enough and not being enough. Last week I shared the idea of forming your own gap plan for when these feelings can turn down your ability to show up fully. Attending to those gap plan actions can be a start of turning fear into determination. 

What then can determination look like and mean right now

Determined to stay the course together 
Different countries have different strategies for managing COVID-19 for their populations. Regardless of which country you are in, healthcare is front and centre of decision making, public health and delivery of care. Allowing healthcare to be able to manage the impact of COVID-19 is (should be) a driving force behind decisions. This has meant huge numbers of people striving for the same thing. By staying at home, working from home, working differently and sticking with it. You and your teams have worked differently, switched roles, thought differently, responding to what is needed and what you can bring. All for the same goal. Realizing we are all in this together has provided a sense that can sit with the fear because we've all got each others backs in this. Working together has always been the way to achieve greatness and this is no exception. What does together mean for you and your team? How can you talk about the challenges and commitment that this requires? 

Determined to reflect
There is a great quote "we do not learn from experiences.....we learn from reflecting on experiences". I've heard a lot about what we are learning right now. That's great. I've learnt heaps of totally new stuff and last week found myself teaching on a subject I would never have dreamed I would be able to teach to a room of nurses. You have to take those experiences and reflect on them to allow that leaning to embed and make a difference for tomorrow, next week, next month...next year. Being determined to reflect on these times will allow you to articulate clearly on what you've gained personally in terms of skills and knowledge. What can you do now that a month ago would have been foreign and totally new?
Reflection will also bring forward and allow you to notice the change in mindsets, attitudes and approaches that you have used and seen being used as we've all responded to COVID-19. Taking the time to reflect on those feelings and how they have changed, coming and going over the course of the weeks is important. I was reminded this week that we can generally recognise - in ourselves and others - only 3 basic emotions - sad, mad and glad. In reality there are closer to 40 emotions that we can feel and recognising for ourselves and others what might lie beneath an outward expression that looks like 'sad' is a huge chance for us to reflect on how we talk about emotions at work. Talking about feelings at work has always been necessary, reflecting on how we do it and increasing our language to do so more effectively is something I am determined about. 

"Leaders must either invest a reasonable amount of time attending to fears and feelings, or squander an unreasonable amount of time trying to manage ineffective and unproductive behavior." Brené Brown, Dare to Lead

Determined to shape the new normal 
The phrase 'new normal'  seems to be used  in most conversations lately and I have to confess to no idea what this really means. What I do know is that we won't be going back to what was, and it is our responsibility as leaders to be determined in how we create and shape what our future of work looks like. This applies to the short, medium and long term. Shaping the future state is why reflecting is an important step and has to occur first. Lots of great stuff has happened. This week I asked a question on Tuesday and had the idea fully delivered and completed by Friday morning. Stuff has just got done.
Clinically the use of virtual and telehealth has increased, we've taken a god look at what needs to be done and in what time frame. Freeing people up to concentrate on fewer things at a time has created a sense of control and achievement that was lost when everything was a priority and urgent. We are learning how important public health is for our system and that the shift of attention that is long overdue may be coming. What can the new normal look like from the perspective of our community, population we serve and the public health within that. 
Equally this is the time to be determined and clear about what is needed from leaders for this next stage. We need to all be determined to be honest about what we bring to a situation in regards to our strengths and what place those strengths have in shaping the next steps. I've seen the positive impact on visibility and transparency that we thought wasn't possible. If it makes a difference now - why would we stop doing those things. On the flip side, processes and fairness can slip within the frame of urgency and while this likely occurred with good intention it means an alignment with values and purpose will be needed to frame up our new normality. The emotional intelligence of leaders coupled with their ability to create psychological safety will be paramount to build on the good of the last few weeks, to create that new normal and for that new state to be able to withstand whatever comes next. 

Determined to stay kind
'Be kind' has been a cornerstone of the system wide approach to COVID-19 here in New Zealand. I'm a big fan of being kind because why wouldn't you. Kindness though get's the treatment as one of those words we think we know what it means. This is one of the best articles I've read that puts the context of kindness into healthcare and what it means as part of how we work as a whole system.  Kindness is not the soft fluffy 'be nice' stuff. It is clear and firm. It holds us up to account with compassion and a human centred approach. It pulls together why we need to be determined to stay in this together and why your ability to attend to feelings will matter and it is what provides hope to what our new normal can look like.