About 1 year ago, life as I knew it stopped.

A strict lockdown started in Germany and I discovered what a home office setting meant.

As a leader, I initially struggled with maintaining good contact with the team, other colleagues, organizing my agenda for optimized and more efficient meetings, and create the necessary space for my family. It seemed like everything I had learned or done before was now the past and needed to be forgotten.

As time went by, a new routine set by and I also reconnected with the things I know how to do as a leader. What stayed the new norm is that the office was empty.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the office. Still empty. Still feeling like people won’t come to it anytime soon.

As I entered one of the meeting rooms though, time stopped. I saw the whiteboard I used as this post picture. And it made me happy.

I realized that I wrote what is on the whiteboard, about 1 year ago, just before the lockdown. Seeing this made me happy because what I wrote then is some of my leadership mantra on how to have constructive meetings:

– Confidentiality: We let out only what we decide as a group to let out
– No judgment: Everybody has a voice and there is no right or wrong. Any idea is good to take and discuss
– We abide by our team values: Respect, trust, etc.

This reminded me that despite all the circumstances, there are things that do not change in leadership, they remain permanent. When I realized this, it helped me refocus on the things that matter as a leader, on what I needed to do for the team. And I was glad to see I had not been off track too often.

And for you, what was a realization you had about leadership during the lockdown and past year? How did that impact you? Tell me in the comments.

For comments or questions, please visit my website or contact me at pascal@p-m-coaching.com