I’m pretty sure you’ve decided in your own mind but for me, it’s starting to look very much like we are in the ‘get ready to do it all again’, territory.
A bewildered BoJo looks like he’s finally cottoned-on to the fact; ‘whack-a-mole’ is not a great response to dealing with a global pandemic and something more mature and strategic is required.
Covid never went away, he just pushed it around the corner.
The heroic efforts of everyone, to see us through our first encounter with the virus, will be needed again.
This time we’ll be more prepared. We won’t have to rely on scenario planning, resilience exercises and dust-off the ‘how to manage a national emergency’ manual. We know. Everyone knows.
This time we’ll have more in the medicine cabinet, more in the repertoire of care, a better idea of what’s what.
I’ll tell you what; if BoJo’s reluctance to do, what we all know he really should have done, turns into another almighty shove to the R number, on top of all the pressures to get waiting-times down and deal with cancer clinics, we are going to be busy.
The first time round there was a spontaneous response from people, all of whom, wherever they work in the NHS and whatever the do, came to work with a strong sense of vocation. They rolled up their sleeves and ‘did their bit’.
NHS' response was magnificent. The nation’s response was extraordinary.
Now, I’m worried about tiredness and the exhaustion that comes from knowing we may have to go through it all again.
There’s a hopelessness that can creep in. The deaths, the loneliness, the sense that it’s outside our control.
They say power corrupts, but powerlessness corrodes.
This is why there’s a big job for NHS leaders, to understand there’s a difference between getting organisations ready and readying their people.
How do we handle that?
Last time everyone pitched in, did everything and everyone worked ’til they dropped. A spontaneity that created an energy, that created an attitude that kept everyone going… even though they had no idea when it would end.
This time we know what’s next. Our approach to motivation has to be different.
Last time the successful leaders were visible and asked people what they needed, what they wanted. This time there is every reason, still, to be visible and ask but also, remember what you learned last time, so people don’t have to ask again.
Part of preparation is to recognise the emotions people went through. What motivated them, what frightened them, what made them come in the next day and got them doing it all over again. You’ll only find that out by taking to them.
One of the reasons is very likely to be; ‘we did it for each other’. The camaraderie of teams. Letting people arrange their own teams, based on what worked for them last time, will create a security and sense of being able to cope. Trust and interdependence.
The best reasons are always personal. Capturing those thoughts, those stories, that are part of the Covid legacy, give us the reasons for doing it again.
Sharing the stories of families, loss, love and kindness that have become the legacy of Covid.
Telling people they did a fabulous job last time, is one thing. Telling them you trust them to do it again, goes a long way to inspiring them. ‘You did this so well, what do you need to do it again…’ it’s empowering and creates the place where people will be at their best.
Covid has been the story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. People aren’t inspired by the ordinary, they are inspired by stories of innovation, creativity and overcoming obstacles.
Make sure the organisation has opportunities to hear from the ordinary people who did extraordinary things.
Motivation and inspiration is not the just the job of the leader. The leader’s job is to create the time and space for all of us to hear what people achieved when they were working at their best, at the edge of their practice and the limits of their ability.
Part of being ready is; ready to listen, ready to learn, ready to trust and ready to say well-done.
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