I think we are all feeling a little displaced nowadays. Our kitchen tables have turned into offices, our social gatherings are for the most part through screens and wearing masks have become the new normal. There is more uncertainty than ever about the future which can lead to a lot of anxiety and fear. This is not the way most of us could imagine our college years would be going.
The good news is that even stormy weather can produce the most beautiful rainbows. What I mean is that there may be a silver lining in this Coronavirus mess. It can be a time of reflection and clarity. There are a lot of important leaderships skills that many of us have come to pick up from this pandemic. Empathy, compassion, positivity, communication. These are just a few that come to mind when I think of the word leadership and can be used to both inspire oneself and others to keep going during these difficult times.
It is almost ironic to think that despite the distance we all keep from each other, we can still be more connected than ever. I think that we have all dealt with some form of hardship through this pandemic and having a sense of empathy for our fellow human beings can go a long way. Even if it is doing something as simple as sending a text to someone we love or organizing a Zoom call among people that we need to catch up with, little acts can be so important to show others that we care.
I’m not saying that the little things are going to make things automatically better and that our problems that come from the pandemic are going to disappear overnight. But I think that displaying our leadership skills and the way we build relationships can still have a tremendous impact. Anyone can be a leader in some capacity, most certainly when it comes down to trying to understand one another and each of our experiences during this difficult time.
I hope that one day we can resume gathering in person. Tackle bigger projects in the community and engage with one another outside of this distance we need to keep from one another. But for right now it seems enough to keep on giving in the little ways we can and try to find ways to continue to grow as humans.
The most important thing to remember is that despite it all, we are all in this together.
Aly Nguyen, CliftonStrengths Consultant, Junior
