Mark LeBusque

Being human isn’t a fad

FAD – an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived; a craze

Remember Pet Rocks?

How about Low Fat, Liquid, Cabbage Soup, Grapefruit Diet?

Cabbage Patch Kids, Pokemon or Tamagotchis?

Fidget Spinners?

Paleo, Keto, Macro……………..?

Being Human in COVID-19 times?

One of the upsides in what’s more than “Business Unusual” right now is that we humans have come to a sudden realisation that in order to get through some really challenging times, we need to step into our humanity.

Lets hope it’s not just a fad. A short-lived craze if you like.

You see the game of “Human” is a long game. A marathon. It happens over many years of turning up with good intentions to build deep connections and foster a strong sense of belonging. You can’t buy it off the shelf or simply turn it on and off dependant upon the circumstances of the day. HUmans have well built bullshit detectors and will sniff a craze or a short-lived effort from a mile away.

It really has me wondering why it’s taken this shitstorm called COVID-19 for humans to realise that? Or did we already realise it but choose another pathway that served self, the customer and shareholder?

We are seeing humanity at its very best right now. Trust is being given rather than earned. Helpfulness, Thankfulness, Care and Fun have become our KPI’s. It’s a fundamental shift in the way humans have interacted in the workplaces over the last 100+ years.

All of a sudden that urgent email or report isn’t so urgent, nor is that need to be in the office just to be seen to be productive. We’re adapting from being above the neck leaders to below the neck leaders. Heart and Gut are helping the Head through a time that needs a combined approach.

Here’s some things to ponder as we are faced each day with the unknown of this virus:

Will Being Human be a short-lived craze or something else?

What will you do as a human being to ensure that in 12 months’ time Being Human isn’t our 2021 version of the Pet Rock?

There’s too much at stake for this to happen.