Amid the current Coronavirus pandemic, I’ve heard the term “the new normal” thrown around a lot. Is this the new normal? Things are certainly different than they have been. Different than they were last month. Last week. Is this how normal looks? I hope not!
Let’s look at the definition of the term “the new normal” as provided by the Urban Dictionary. It is as follows:
“The current state of being after some dramatic change has transpired. What replaces the expected, usual, typical state after an event occurs. The new normal encourages one to deal with current situations rather than lamenting what could have been.”
I underlined the word “after” twice in the definition. Let’s keep in mind that we are in the middle of the event and the dramatic change. The current state of being that comes “after” is yet to be determined.
The last sentence in the definition gets to the purpose of the term. It encourages us to face our situations head-on and accept the reality of it. We are in a crisis. People are getting sick and dying from a new virus. The financial markets are down. Businesses will close. The way we work and live is different than it was. But we do not have to accept this as normal. We are “at cause.”
We will enter a post-crisis period, and it will look different than the pre-crisis state. What it ultimately becomes is up to us and the actions we take now. I encourage you to assess the current situation and the impact on your firm and act. Recover from this as quickly as possible, and reinvent. The “new normal” that results will be different but offers endless possibilities and opportunities.