by Lola Fong | Jun 19, 2020 | Articles
The months of March, April and May of the year 2020 will forever be stamped in history, great stories will be told to grandchildren, events will be memorialized, history books will be rewritten. This was the period when the world came to a screeching halt, production stopped, worked stalled, people locked themselves inside, masks became an accessory and handwashing became the activity of the day. Covid-19 was all we talked about, it commandeered the news, controlled our conversations, filled our every waking thought. Covid-19 was the common enemy and the world banded together as we worked hard to avoid the rampant cough and sneeze. Nothing else mattered, nothing else could matter, or so we thought….
On May 25th in the incredibly short time of 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the world’s axis took a sharp turn and in the next few weeks , the world totally pivoted and targeted another enemy , not so common but even more dangerous, an enemy that had been attacking the world for hundreds of years. Attention dramatically shifted, conversations changed, voices screamed and shouted, doors flew open and people who were locked in for months, bravely came out in masks to protest against the common enemy. The trajectory had shifted, change was in the air and not even the previously impervious Covid-19 could stop it. Black lives matter.
How long did it take for the world to realize that Covid-19 was not the real enemy ? 8.46 minutes
How long did it take for black people to realize that the progress they had made over the years was not really progress ? 8.46 minutes
How long did it take for mankind to finally accept that the colour of a man’s skin does not define him? 8.46 minutes
How long did it take for the land of the free and the home of the brave to realize that all their people were not in fact free? 8.46 minutes
How long did it take for people of all complexions to realize that the injustices against black people were in fact injustices against all people? 8.46 minutes
How long did it take for princes, priests and paupers to realize that racism breeds real and lasting hate? 8.46 minutes
How long did it take for a simple man to become a hero ? 8.46 minutes
There is no doubt that 2020 will remember health sector workers as larger than life heroes but 2020 should also be remembered as the year when we all stepped up to the plate in a different way. Parents must now teach their children to be kind and decent to everyone. Educators need to change how history is taught in schools. Government leaders need to review systems and structures to ensure fairness for all and not just the privileged few. Regulators need to review laws and policies to ensure that everyone is judged and punished fairly. We all need to examine our thoughts, emotions and attitudes about racism. It is a time for Coaches to guide thinking and behavior and build leaders with empathy and integrity. 2020 must be remembered as the year of change.
This has been the longest and shortest 8.46 minutes in history, let’s make it count.
by Lola Fong | May 29, 2020 | Articles
In May 2020, approximately 2 million students graduated with bachelor’s degrees from colleges in America alone, most of them will join the work force. They are however quite unique because they are the first group of Generation Z children to graduate, children who were born between 1996 and 2014. They follow the famous Millennials who so much has been written and debated about. What really makes them special though is that these Gen Z graduates are the ones who will be pivotal in creating the new normal way of working , they are the fresh, new minds who will be helping to rebuild the post pandemic world , they are the ones who will face off against Covid-19.
They have lost the first fight in that they have been cheated of their commencement celebrations, they have lost internship opportunities, those who have jobs have delayed starting dates and those without jobs are facing an uphill battle to find jobs. However, I agree wholeheartedly with President Obama when he said in his commencement speech to graduates, “this is your generation’s world to shape “and even more poignant, “the power rests in your hands”. But how prepared are they for the fight?
Firstly, they are already entrepreneurs, 9 out of 10 of them started a business in high school or earlier and know how to earn and invest funds, they are self-sufficient and rely much less on their parents than other generations. This means they are more equipped to face the post Covid-19 economy. They have never seen a world without the internet, they text and message with frightening ease, they can function brilliantly with reduced social interaction. They are technologically savvy, came out of the womb with a smart phone in their hands; they are not intimidated by change, creating new pathways is already second nature to them, a ravaged world will be an exciting challenge. Searching the internet is a pastime that they are ultra-comfortable with and consequently they are adept at absorbing tremendous information; information is power more so now and they know how to access and process it. All of this makes them highly motivated and self-confident some say self-absorbed, but this strong sense of self will auger well in a world that has battered people’s egos and confidence.
Most importantly, they are fearless. The hurdles that we see, they look right past them because they are focused on the end game and they know that they have the ability to surmount the challenge. It’s not that they see opportunities within problems, it’s that they don’t see problems. They are driven and motivated by acquisitions and expansion not titles and awards, by the need to make everything work for them in the best possible way. They are risk takers and natural leaders in a world that will sorely need these skills. If you think about it, some of them were not unduly perturbed by the loss of a graduation function, they were more disappointed for their parents. They are pragmatic, focused and resilient yet sensitive and environmentally conscious. Their concern is how quickly they can turn Covid-19 challenges into the opportunities of a lifetime.
Our role, if we choose to accept it, is to guide them when necessary, coach them when needed and lend advice when asked. Let’s get behind the Gen Zers, the future belongs to them and they will not be losing any more fights.
Inspired by my Gen Z son, Jaden Maxwell Wright, a 2020 Engineering graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic… my muse.
by Lola Fong | May 16, 2020 | Articles
The year was 2009, the place was Berlin, Germany. It was the start of the IAAF World games 100 meters men’s final. Eight men lined up at the start line, only one man would win but that man was going to redefine the sprinting world in an incredible fashion. At the end of the race, Usain Bolt set a new record of 9.58 eclipsing his own previous record of 9.69. It was a phenomenal race, a phenomenal time done by a phenomenal sprinter. His place in the history books was sealed, his title of the greatest sprinter of all time, now carved in stone. 11 years later, the record stands firm, it will stand for a long time.
One can only imagine what it took for Usain Bolt to get to that point; heart, passion, determination, diligence, commitment, strength, fortitude. What I’m sure he also experienced was pain, disappointment, failure and fatigue. It’s the classic juxtaposition of life, sadness and joy, success and failure, victory and defeat. Nothing great has ever been achieved without a good degree of stress and pain.
But if we apply this to life, this 9.58 moment is the moment when you hit your stride, when all that you have been working for comes together in the best possible way, when you realize that you are in fact better than you imagined, when you become the best version of yourself . Usain went on to continued greatness but interestingly suffered an agonizing defeat in 2011 when he false started at the similar event in Daegu, South Korea. So, a great moment does not guarantee that you will never fail again, it does not guarantee joy and success forever. What it does is let you know what you are capable of and that you can rebound to success and greatness because you know that you have it in you. It builds confidence and embellishes your sense of self.
Not intentionally, people sometimes forget that special ingredient that helped Usain to skyrocket to greatness, not Usain though, he always speaks glowingly of his Coach. The venerable Glen Mills is an overall successful Coach, but history will remember him as the Coach who groomed the greatest sprinter of all time. 9.58 is as much his achievement as Usain’s. This is the person who saw the potential, picked Usain up after injuries, guided him on the path to astounding success, applied a firm hand when it was necessary, talked him out of his pain when he lost races, made him realize that he possessed the ability to become the best version of himself. It does take two to tango.
Are you functioning as the best version of yourself? Is your path to success and achievement clear to you? Do you know what you need to do to take your life and career to the next level? Perhaps it’s time to connect with a Coach who can advance you towards a clear appreciation and understanding of your own unique path to success, a Coach who can guide you to achieve your 9.58 moment or moments. After all, some races are really for the swift.
by Lola Fong | May 10, 2020 | Articles
Leadership is an art not a science, a complex emotional and physical state that produces persons who see beyond the obvious, who dare to do it, who motivate others and who will make sacrifices for the greater good. Leadership is a word that is commonly used but if you think about it, real leaders are not common. The nature, nurture argument still rages on, but I think both are true, leaders are born, and leaders are made.
As the crisis that is Covid-19 bludgeons its way across the world, the response by leaders has been many and varied. The natural born leaders already in leadership positions rise to the occasion; they make the tough decisions, they provide support to their constituents and employees, they motivate their peers, they lead from the front or the back as the situation necessitates. Yes, they experience anxiety and stress, but they still manage to instill hope and trust and they embrace and promote the new reality. You find these persons in government, media, the church, schools, businesses and families. They work to stay in step or ahead of the crisis.
The leaders who were placed in leadership positions not because of their skills, acumen or personality start to flounder, display inadequate foresight, each hurdle is a mountain, each decision small or large becomes a massive effort, fraught with ego tripping and power play. These are also the same “leaders” who in the past got rid of persons below them who dared to question their decisions or offered differing opinions. After all, their insecurity has to remain a secret at all cost. They are not anxious or stressed, those would be signs of weakness. For them the crisis is winning and their Waterloo is imminent.
And then there are those, not in leadership positions, may be close to leaders or not at all but who possess vision, insight , empathy and most of all potential. They may be Millennials, they may be Boomers, they may be Introverts, they may be Extroverts, but they have not been given the opportunity, the occasion has never sought them out, some have stayed away from the limelight but cometh the crisis, cometh the leader. Their quiet calm now becomes an enviable strength, their outspokenness now seen as bold and decisive, their caring manner now heralded as kind and empathetic, their need to analyze now becomes respected as cautious and careful decision making. They too are anxious and stressed but who they are and who they have always been begins to take on a leadership shine.
Let’s not wait for the crisis to be over, let’s not wait for the next crisis. Great leaders develop leaders, let’s identify potential, let’s coach and train them , let’s develop real leaders, we need them now more than ever.
by Lola Fong | Apr 24, 2020 | Articles
As we celebrated the new year on December 31st, 2019, we all had plans, hopes, dreams , ready to land in 2020. It was shaping up to be a good year, the start of a new decade, a leap year yes, but that didn’t matter, it was going to be a good year. What could go wrong? There was some talk about a virus developing in China, but that had nothing to do with us, pour the champagne, it was going to be a good year.
And then we literally blinked and everything that we have always known to be true, everything that we had taken for granted, everything that had made our lives comfortable, everything that made sense just changed, just evaporated, just turned upside down.
We all know the phrase, “every disappointment is for good” but is it though? Seems like disappointments have become the order of the day in all aspects of our lives. For the high school student, it’s final exams, prom night; for college students, it’s job fairs, internships, graduations; for business owners, it’s that new product, expanding the business; for corporations, it’s enhancing productivity, developing staff; for others it’s weddings, birthdays and even worse, funerals. Our best laid plans have either been shelved, cancelled or delayed. Murphy is smiling with that I told you so look, “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong” but we didn’t think that meant every facet of our life?
But our mindset is going to be the secret to our success, the secret to riding out the storm. Adjusting quickly and efficiently, facing the reality of our situation, not dwelling on the cancelled event or plan, revising the plan, changing our schedules, accepting loss, embracing delay, that is the required mindset. Words such as faith, trust, hope, love, patience take on a greater meaning now more than ever.
There is a lot of debate about which personality type will fare better in this time .The Introvert who knows the benefits of alone time, the Extrovert who knows the power of optimism, the Planner who has a spreadsheet for every eventuality, the Pragmatist whose favourite phrase is “reality check”, the Analyst who has researched every aspect of everything , the Control junkie, who has mastered the art of staying on top of everything, the Relationship guru who is driven to connect and communicate. Truth is they all have different attributes which will take them through the Covid-19 storm differently but will take them through.
Let’s talk about it, let’s coach and train through it, it’s a fascinating journey. Maybe every disappointment is really for good.
by Lola Fong | Apr 17, 2020 | Articles
The 3N challenge – Navigating the New Normal
It cannot be said enough, these are not normal times, life as we know it may never be the same. Life is a double edged sword and the task ahead for all of us, regardless of where we are in life is how to manage the 3N challenge that is enveloping us like an English fog. I have coined it the 3N challenge, Navigating the New Normal. After all, is there another choice? Like an oncoming wave, those who face it head on and brace for the onslaught will minimize the impact and get back to shore stronger, not necessarily unscathed but better positioned to face the next wave.
Accepting the fact that the employment arena has been turned inside out, the questions are coming fast and furious.Do I have the right skills to stay employed after Covid-19? Do I need to change my skills set? Is it time to re-think my career? Is my profession outdated? Will I even find employment? Now, these questions did not arise because of a marauding virus but they have certainly become more relevant since the entry of said virus.
We now communicate differently, we work differently, we need different services. The previous non-essential worker, delivery personnel for example, have become very essential; technology is ruling the kingdom right up there with the on line entertainment media and yes, those Millennials and Gen Zers , they are not happy with the restrictions but they are very adept in maneuvering the new space and adjusting quickly. But this is all temporary we say but is it? I put it to you, communication, entertainment, how we work, will never go back to what it was.
It is not only technical skills and physical space that are undergoing a makeover, our assessment of ourselves is daily and shifting. Should I adapt? How quickly can I adapt? Do I even want to adapt? We will see some employees opting for early retirement just because, others will now take the leap to start that new business that they have been dreaming about. Still others are completely unsure of their next step. It is daunting, it is scary, it is disruptive.
What is becoming clear to Boomers, Millennials, Gen Zers, Doctors , Lawyers, Indian Chiefs , is that they may need someone to help them understand themselves and their role in the new normal , someone to help them to navigate the new normal and someone to help them find their place in the new normal. Enter the Coach, the fastest growing profession before Covid-19, the essential profession after Covid-19.
A solution-focused Coach works with their client to inspire them, to move them towards whatever makes the biggest difference to accelerate their development choices at the particular stage of their life. Everyone agrees that there is always a need for professional flexibility and creative thinking, for improved relationships and accessing deeper meanings to life. Coaching advance persons toward a clear appreciation and understanding of their own unique path to satisfaction and success in a fast changing and different world.
Is it time for you to call a Coach?
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