Just as the Molotov cocktails burned themselves out on the streets of Hong Kong, the Covid-19 virus set the streets alight with fear.

Clients put emergency protocols in place, events postponed, schools went virtual and loo roll became a coveted commodity.

Uncertainty, commercial losses, professional and personal isolation, survival instincts… What fertile soil for growing a chronic spiral of stress and fear!

In the midst of all that, I made a quick dash to Singapore. While 2500km from home I discovered a business problem that needed urgent attention and involved a whole web of internal and external parties.

A cascade of emails resulted, with more and more people on CC, phone calls, apologies, fingers pointed, reputations threatened.

It’s been a horrible week. So why am I sharing this?

Because two things have made it better.

My team has come together in the bright light of trust and learning. The dark shadows of blame and shame are nowhere to be seen. That makes me so proud.

And at my lowest point I took myself for a walk outside and sat under a tree for an hour. Leaves, grass, water… They soothed me, they helped me calm my emotions and engage constructively with my thoughts.

I reframed the situation. I looked at it from the perspective of 15 years of committed and masterful client service to set against one horribly unfortunate failure. That brought some positivity to the team on a bad day. I also felt genuine gratitude for all the clients who are working with us – in person and virtually – and using this fallow period to plan with us, partnering with us to reschedule events for when we’re all back on track.

On that solid platform we’ve been able to regroup and take positive action.

This is a period of complex pain for many of us, especially across Asia. Take a moment each day to experience the simple pleasures: good people and the glorious green growth that is Mother Nature in bad times as well as good.

This ancient Levantine proverb is as wise as it is true:
“This too shall pass.”

If you or your team are struggling, we are here to offer compassionate and pragmatic coaching – in person or virtually as needed.
Contact: [email protected] (Singapore/regional) or [email protected] (Hong Kong/regional)