Weekend Leadership Reading: 4/24/20

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Weekends are time when things slow down a little. Your weekend shouldn’t be two more regular workdays. That’s a sure road to burnout. Take time to refresh yourself. Take time for something different. Take time for some of that reading you can’t find time for during the week.

Here are choice articles on hot leadership topics culled from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms. This week there are articles about the topsy-turvy world we’re living in.

From Joe Pinsker: When Will Coronavirus Social Distancing Be Over?

“America is currently left with self-isolation, a blunt tactic that can slow the spread of the virus, potentially sparing the country’s hospitals from a catastrophic overload of patients, but that comes at the cost of freezing daily life. Epidemiologists I interviewed stressed that they have no idea when life will be unfrozen, but they walked me through a series of possible timelines on which Americans might be able to safely start leaving the house to make money or do fun things again. Below are those timelines, including some turning points to look out for in the coming weeks, months, and years.”

From Alec Levenson: A Long Time Until the Economic New Normal

“A full economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is unlikely, and the new version of normal for work and organizations is further off than we think.”

From the London School of Economics: Will remote working digital infrastructures become the norm?

“A global experiment of communicating almost entirely through the use of digital infrastructures is unfolding, writes Carsten Sørensen”

From Thomas Harrison: Moving To A New, Post-Virus Normal

“Corporate resilience, innovation, a new level of preparedness and an insatiable focus on sustainability will be key for success in the post-COVID era.”

From Greg Satell: We Need To Prepare For Future Crises Like We Prepare For War

“In a 2015 TED talk, Bill Gates warned that ‘if anything kills ten million people in the next few decades, it’s most likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war. Not missiles, but microbes.’ He went on to point out that we have invested enormous amounts of money in nuclear deterrents, but relatively little to battle epidemics.”

From Bill Gates: The first modern pandemic

“The coronavirus pandemic pits all of humanity against the virus. The damage to health, wealth, and well-being has already been enormous. This is like a world war, except in this case, we’re all on the same side. Everyone can work together to learn about the disease and develop tools to fight it. I see global innovation as the key to limiting the damage. This includes innovations in testing, treatments, vaccines, and policies to limit the spread while minimizing the damage to economies and well-being.”

From Irving Wladawsky-Berger: Getting Through Highly Uncertain Times – Some Lessons Learned

“But, when it comes to getting through tough times in our professional life, I’d like to share some lessons learned based on my experiences when IBM, – the company I joined in 1970 after completing my university studies, – almost went out of business in the early 1990s. Let me describe a few of those lessons.”

From Ken Blanchard: 5 Powerful Questions to Reboot Your Work Life

“As most of us settle into the COVID-19 working-from-home life, I’m reminded of just how important learning is in our lives. Whether we’re doing it for personal or professional development, learning keeps our minds and skills sharp. It not only staves off boredom, it also keeps us from becoming boring people! Getting older—or getting seniority in our jobs—has its pluses and minuses. On the one hand, you can finish day-to-day tasks with ease by relying on past experiences, document templates, and standardized steps. But without ongoing learning, your personal satisfaction and effectiveness in the workplace will suffer.”

From Patrick Rhone: Embracing Uncertainty

“In the midst of this time of great uncertainty, I’ve stumbled upon an observation: Those who are dealing the least well with the uncertainty are those who refuse to accept it.”

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