On 19th March 2020 when people heard about the Janta Curfew, there were some who wondered about what we were going to achieve through a one day curfew. Many didn’t see that as the tip of the iceberg. Many didn’t realize there is something big which is coming our way in the form of back to back lockdowns.
Today many of us are in the midst of this change and are evoking different emotions which initially started from denial. Some of us were shocked in the initial days of lock down. I came across different statements from different people: “oh my God now what, I can’t believe this, I simply hope I don’t get affected with COVID-19, I simply hope my near and dear one’s don’t test COVID-19 Positive”.
There are some who are feeling frustrated with this sudden change of being at home. There are some who are feeling insecure thinking about the future. There are some who are anxious and curious to know where they will be after two weeks of lockdown.
There are also many people who are now learning to accept the reality and are experimenting with the new situation so they can evolve and become better than ever before.
I want to make an attempt to follow in the footsteps of those who are optimistic like Swiss-American psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross who conceptualized The Kubler-Ross Change Curve, which can help people work with a mindset of a go-getter.
Before you begin your new innings, its important you evaluate yourself so you can evolve in your journey. Which stage of the change curve you are in? What is your challenge to yourself for the near future? How will the new version of yourself be in the future?
After you have identified your current stage as per the above picture, it’s important that you dive deeper into this so you can plan your next steps after accepting the reality and begin your new journey by experimenting with new ways of working.
One of the top 10 skills of 2020 listed by World Economic Forum is Critical Thinking during your journey of change.While you have embarked on the journey of change, critical thinking can play a big role in helping you analyse and evaluate information so you can accordingly take the steps to change your behaviour and beliefs.
In addition to critical thinking, a key ingredient in your new journey is going to the positivity. I recently noticed some of my colleagues in the southern region along with their family members used the virtual mode of communication and engagement to celebrate togetherness and positivity. A few days ago, our HR team had a virtual induction of all new joinees. I believe this is the first time in the history of our organization something of this sort must have taken place.
Our service engineers are using innovative ways to assist customers, At Schindler University, we already have some examples of experimentation (21and 66 days challenge) which have bought out newer ways of working. We also have achieved a good amount of success in assisting some of our colleagues in the area of deaddiction – they took up this challenge with zest. Keeping this in mind, the next step to return to a meaningful life is to redefine ourselves by deriving new meaning and a higher purpose to commit ourselves to become a better version of ourselves to bounce back in life.
The views expressed are the author’s own.
The author of this write up is Mr. Kshitij Bhusari who currently works as Deputy General Manager at Schindler University. A Korn Ferry certified leadership facilitator he has conducted workshops across India, Malaysia and Europe, Kshitij has also been successful in helping people in the area of de-addiction from alcohol, tobacco etc. He was recently felicitated with the coveted President’s Award for Schindler India KG 2019. Prior to joining Schindler in October 2014, Kshitij has worked with some of the leading companies like Mahindra Group, Saint Gobain, and Marico.
