Chaos and Opportunity

Chaos and Opportunity

3/27/20

At the time of this writing, we are all dealing with various forms of  "sheltering in-place" and "stay at home" orders from federal, state and local authorities as we collectively try to staunch the expansion of the COVID-19 virus.  We are not really sure how long this will last, but we know at some point, we will be getting back to work in our regular work places, doing our jobs the way we used to (perhaps with some modifications with the lessons learned from this situation).  Many of us have had experience in the past working with different tools to facilitate communication 'virtually', but few have had the chance to put them in practice the way have been forced to recently.

It isn't easy making these sorts of adjustments, but adjust we must.  In the beginning of this quarantine period, many people spent the majority of their time just trying to get their footing, so to speak - adapt to working from home, getting more familiar with the tools at their disposal, and trying to make sense of the current workload.

We should have reached somewhat of a steady-state by now and there are undoubtedly some tasks that are starting to become more "routine".  Effectiveness and efficiency in our new processes is important because it allows us to be productive.  Now is the time to get even more creative.  Looking ahead, to the time when you will be getting back to your regular routine at your workplace, ask yourself:  What are those things that are going to consume my focus as we get back up to speed?  What can I do now to NOW to make that process easier?  What sort of things to I have the opportunity to address NOW that I am away from the normal day to day distractions?  You may find that in this time of chaos there are opportunities for you to dig into problems and address concerns that you simply didn't have the time or resources to do before.  Now that you have been working from home for a while and you have cleaned out the garage or the closet that has been bugging you, what sort of things have you been neglecting at work that you could now get done remotely? 

Perhaps you don't have the time or expertise to address these things personally, but there is a good chance that there may be resources that available to help you with them.  Contractors, engineering firms, consulting firms and others are all re-adjusting their work load just as you are. This may be the perfect time to engage them to get these things done.  By so doing, you will also strengthen that corporate relationship and you may find long term benefits from the effort. 

We all have to respect the requirements to knock back this virus, but that could actually lead to some positive opportunities.   Give it a try.

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020