The new normal

During my early days at Goldman Sachs in New York, I was all into the traditional in-person work force. I had to put on the suits, went to formal office lunches and interacted with people every day, some of them who became my friends. I had a position in the Technology Division, so at times I had remote access to the systems and emails over the weekend. During weekdays, however, I was offline after 6 pm, unless there were any emergency requests.

Remote work started to become business as usual to me as I started to become a frequent traveler. I took calls anywhere, anytime. It worked just fine on a world that, at the time, was not used to an “on-the-go” way of doing things and achieving results. Not to mention that all these platforms were not even something thought of at the time.

I later became a startup co-founder, a consultant, and a global speaker. I started to get a sense that the asymmetry of information on the platforms affected how the matching of users’ needs and other parties where being made. Word of mouth seems to be the best choice still on a world that is still adjusting, because it maximizes the value for both parties, without an intermediary.

The world changed and humanity is facing perhaps one of its biggest challenges in recent history. The world will never be the same and there is a new normal that we are building as we speak. It is yet for us to figure out what changes will come from now on. Some things are now certain:

• We need to transform the way we conduct ourselves as individuals. Social distancing is a challenge for almost everybody. We are more aware of what actions we need to take to keep a healthy body and mind.
• The economy will change as many tasks force will become a remote force. Markets will change. Some will disappear, others will be replaced, and others will arise. It is up to us to set the new rules of society, embracing change and achieving for continuum wherever necessary.

We need to think as a collective to obtain individual survival. We need to redefine our priorities, our sense of community and generosity, and how our actions impact society and others.

With this in mind, I remind you that there is not a formula to be successful under the new circumstances. You need to discover your own. But being aware of you as part of a bigger entity — for real- will make you successful in your personal life, career, and how you positively impact others. But how? Help others get through this (family, friends, providers, and customers of your ecosystem, both physical and virtual). Help others get the right information: do not spread fake news and instead refer to official sources and authorities.

I sincerely hope we all help out. Together we can beat this.

This article was also published here LinkedIn.