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So I’ve been meaning to provide an update on things here @kenanflagler. So many good things to highlight – online classes are going well, students and faculty are both finding ways to make them better, lots of ongoing change 1/
The attitudes have been incredible, and folks are finding ways to take what we know and improve things with COVID-19 - https://kenaninstitute.unc.edu/covid-19/ - https://cboh.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CBOH_Sharecare_NC-Well-Being-Data-Analysis-Competition-Flyer.pdf 2/
But that isn’t where I want to focus my attention right now. Last week I was reflecting on all of the productivity hacks that have been coming out for how to thrive in a virtual environment. And to be honest that’s normally where my Twitter feed has lived.
I’m an operations professor & behavioral scientist – productivity and learning get me out of bed in the morning. But these threads haven’t resonated with me lately. By all means if digging into how to do things better/faster/cheaper gets you through COVID-19 days then carry on 4/
For me, this week I’ve caught myself sighing. A lot. You’d have to ask the broader team, but I am reasonably sure I am doing it after I hang up or send an email, not real-time (feel free to chime in, would love to know if I’m wrong). 5/
In reflecting on the sighs, it is clear it is sadness. The world has so much tragedy right now – every life lost deserves mourning. But we also need to take time to be sad for other aspects. I’m heartbroken for our 2Y MBA students – they have done and are doing great things. 6/
We’ll get to celebrate them in-person eventually, but it isn’t now. Our 1Y students are figuring out what a summer internship means in a world of COVID-19. They should just be getting their groove on in electives and instead they adjust. 7/
I’ve always found our EMBA and MBA@UNC students so inspiring. They work, take care of families and rock it in the classroom. Now they do all of that at home and take on new challenges & anxieties. I want to remove that burden, but instead we just do our best to walk with them. 8/
Then there is the staff & faculty. So many of my sighs have been at the end of meetings where I have just made a change (e.g., moving our FT MBA start back by a month) and I’ve invalidated months of planning. Time to start all over. 9/
The incredible thing is that people hear the news, they maybe sigh & then they get to work. I date myself – as an aside, my son today asked me if my running playlist had any songs in the last ten years – but I’m in a place where people get knocked down, but they get up again. 10/
Despite all of the chaos they’re trying to aim for incredibly high standards. So much is changing and people are frustrated when they don’t get every single thing right. To that I say thank you and let’s all cut each other & ourselves some slack. 11/
I think that overall, I just want to say I’m sorry. Grieve it all. The hallway chats, the happy hours, the baseball games, the completed project plans – they are gone, for now. We’ll come up with new ways to be productive – later. 12/
For now we need to sigh, we need to cry, we need to accept that what we’ve lost hurts. Now when I sigh I pause. I know what the sigh is, I’m asking myself for help. I try to turn to gratitude. I think what can I do to thank someone for how they’re addressing the challenge. 13/
Then, I take another deep breath, to move to acceptance of the next challenge. We’ll accomplish amazing things and make our world a better place, but for now – take care of yourself and take time to grieve. Let me know how I can help. I'm here. /fin
