Learnings from lockdown

by Craig and Kat

Here at Rambutan, we’ve been reflecting on how we coped with the challenges 2020 brought us, both on a personal level, and as a business, and how we can use what we learned to take us into 2021 with more confidence than ever before.

For Craig, the initial impact was the sheer speed of change and adaptation to a whole different way of working; from setting up his home office as quickly and effectively as possible, to constantly adapting to stuff changing, like national and local restrictions, and living and working in the same environment.

“It was a massive challenge and one I had to acclimatise to rapidly. I knew I’d be switching from working in 3D (face-to-face) to 2D (online) with my clients. As a business we had to adapt everything to match our clients’ changing needs, so we made the transition as straightforward as possible for them (and us!), and we still continue to do so.”

Of course, the transition from face-to-face meetings to online did have its advantages.

“As I live by myself, I felt very alone. I wasn’t prepared for how isolated I was going to feel. So I reconnected online with many people I hadn’t spoken to in decades. I hammered Zoom mega-style!”

For many, the switch from physical contact to dealing with the technicalities of online platforms like Zoom and Teams has meant a whole change of mindset and the need to significantly increase skills and knowledge.

Kat comments, “People have adapted, learnt new ways and adopted new lifestyles. We’ve been remote, isolated and getting to grips with online platforms, which up to now, some of us have been completely unfamiliar with. Since our new Rambutan remote working policy, we’ve set up a Teams conference call to check-in with each other, find out how we’re all feeling and generally have a bit of banter on screen. Video conference calls don’t have to be just about business… they can provide some seriously funny moments too!”

Craig adds, “In my experience, people can cope with change with greater ease than they give themselves credit for. There isn’t a past normal or a new normal; things can change on a sixpence and there is just the present and going forward into a better future. I’ve adapted and found new ways of doing stuff in this present world. At work, I chat on Teams and Zoom about life and don’t dive straight into business. It’s the 2D equivalent of a watercooler conversation.”

Back in May, Rambutan offered free webinars. Hundreds of people attended, which resulted in several chats about how else we could help them.

Craig says, “I’ve always been tuned-in to helping others, but the amount that increased was exponential. Whether that was help to cope with redundancy, being on furlough or even just with life. People messaged me after the webinars asking how and what I was doing. These connections turned into quick coaching sessions, as a gift to help people. Even now I’m coaching people I hadn’t previously connected with for over 15 years; helping them to find new roles, settle into new jobs and manage their internal dialogue.”

Craig spoke to one of our wonderful clients, Carrie Richardson, and asked her about her lockdown experience and learning, and we think this really sums it up beautifully:

“Lockdown has brought to the very surface the true nature of the human spirit and shown our ability to be resilient against the odds. Life often throws curveballs and things fall outside of our control. We just need to keep telling ourselves and our teams that if we give our best, that is enough. Above all else we need to be there for each other, look after ourselves and take joy and celebration where we can.”

Resilience and adaptation to change have been the key focus for us during the lockdown experience. As humans we’re incredibly adaptable to change and, whether we like it or not, we can certainly learn from it. What can we take forward from our lifestyle and working changes? How did we make it work for us? Here are a few of our thoughts:

• love the ones around you, even if it’s virtually

• do what you can to help others

• switch off from work mode and switch on to home mode, even if that just means changing your t-shirt! It’s a psychological message to yourself that your working day has ended

• enjoy the little things that life offers, like music, nature and exercise

• recognise your resilience – be proud of you

• most importantly, cut yourself some slack, you’re doing a great job!

We agree with Mark Twain who said, “The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.”

Psychology Today tells us that, “If we can joke about a disappointing or traumatic event, we’ll often find ourselves feeling that what’s happened to us isn’t so bad and that we’ll be able to get through it.” Laughter diminishes or even eliminates the moment-by-moment suffering we might otherwise experience as a result of a traumatic loss. It actually makes it more likely we will make it through a trauma unmarred and flourish once again.

So onwards to 2021! We will be continuing with living our motto that we adopted earlier this year; innovative, caring and future-focused.