The Next Normal: You've Got This. And We've Got You.

If you’re a social impact leader, you’ve likely learned to multi-task in ways you’d never imagined only a few months ago.  Like many others – the lucky ones! – working from home, you may be home school -teacher, dog walker, landscaper, housekeeper and much more, right alongside your day job. WFH, most commonly understood as work from home, could also mean what (the) f*** happened? While you’re trying to remember what day it is and whether you showered yesterday or the day before, the IOS in your brain may be running a constant program of worry, anxiety, and fear.

What are my staff doing? Are we all aligned on our goals and strategy? What’s our financial position? When are we going to be in the same room again? Are we still relevant?

These and other critical questions scroll through your brain like the changes posted in the New York Stock Exchange. One long line of questions that some creative soul will add a hashtag to and try to make it a “thing” for some reason.

But these questions are a “thing” to you. What’s next in the next normal is not all in our hands. But all of it will be out of our hands if we don’t make decisions now about what’s next in our organizations. The good

news? You make decisions all the time. You’re a visionary and strategic leader with networks to call upon for assistance. And you’re committed to excellence and impact – so you have an allergic reaction to sitting around waiting for decisions to get made for you. The challenge? Some of what you must decide likely requires realignment of resources. Paring down of goals and strategies. Clearing out “clutter” that only a small-time ago felt like essential components to your strategy. Charting a course for the afterlife of this

current crisis.

If it feels overwhelming, you’re not alone.  It’s also an opportunity to do some really important things that you may have been putting off or not convinced it was time to do or weren’t really certain was the right direction. And. You got this.

Yes, leadership is often lonely. Yes, this pandemic feels like a never-ending tape loop of Zoom calls and bored children with a backdrop of horrible loss and fear. And. You got this.

If you feel like you don’t, we’ve got you. We’ve been where you are. And as social impact leaders committed to change and leaving a better planet behind, we’d love to help. So if you need someone to talk to, whether

it’s to consider re-framing your priorities, weigh the risk/reward of staffing decisions, think about how to engage board members, or just to empty that very full cup with an objective thought partner who doesn’t report to you and doesn’t employ you, we’re here.  

Look, I know that we’re inundated with throw away lines right now about us all being in it together and “insert town name or business name here” Strong. Slogans don’t get us through crises. Neither do false

commitments. So, know that we’re serious. That we recognize the importance of the social impact sector and are ready to throw everything we have at it. We’ve never shied away from conflict or crisis. And we don’t intend to start now.

You got this. If you need it, we’re here to help.

#ThoughtsWeThought #CopperStrategic #NewNormal