I updated my website this week to capture the support North Star Coaching offers leaders in developing their "new normal". As I thought through this concept of developing a "new normal", memories of my two years working in the Caribbean came to mind, as my normal was flipped on its head.
One of my poignant memories comes from being so impressed with the ingenuity and simplicity of construction in Dominica. For example, the picture below shows a company is using bamboo to hold up the roof while the cement dries.
Arguably, bamboo makes a pretty effective resource as it is one of the fastest growing plants in the Caribbean and is readily available. Some species grow as fast as 1.7" per hour! I remember hearing the bamboo grow, cracking as it stretched through the jungle, on its never-ending quest to capture the sun.
A metaphor from these memories can certainly be applied as we think through the "new normal" of the post-pandemic world (and yes, we will eventually get to the post- part of this pandemic). Sometimes what we need is right in front of us. We can often miss seeing it because it's so obvious, so abundant, like bamboo. So together, let's listen to the jungle around us . . . Can you hear it . . . ? That cracking noise? What are you experiencing that you want to keep in the new normal? And perhaps more importantly, how can you nurture those things now, so that they are sure to survive as we journey through to new normal? What is your ray of sunshine?