Out the window

We’re all starting to get used to the new It’s Not Normal. Or are we?

We’re all grappling with ways of working and communicating differently. Being effective during this crisis is bigger than just replicating old ways of working in a remote or virtual way. Awareness of the complexities that everyone is grappling with, the amount of change that we’re dealing with, the grief we’re feeling, trusting people and ensuring we are being kind to colleagues are very important. I think it’s important to use this moment to challenge ourselves about what is and isn’t essential. Could a regular update meeting be replaced with a quick written update posted in a Slack channel? Would a quick 20 minute livestream and recorded Q&A be a good way to share information that people can then absorb at a time that suits them rather than expecting everyone to be at their respective desks at the same time?

It’s an opportunity to be more thoughtful about the way we communicate. Basecamp is one of the platforms I’ve been using recently. I came across this piece on their web site which has some gems in it. My favourites are 13 and 24. Doing things differently during this time could and should lead us to doing things differently when we eventually emerge.

It should be obvious to us all that the effects of the coronavirus will be experienced differently by different communities. See this by Gracie Mae Bradley of Liberty re the impact of overzealous policing on communities of colour. Focus on equalities is as necessary as ever and I’ve been in several conversations recently about keeping these topics on the agenda even through these distracting times.

There have been more examples of collaboration in the sector this week. Crisis has started an emergency fund to support smaller, local homelessness charities. And, the Mildmay Hospital, which had been threatened with closure, is now taking in homeless Covid-19 patients, following a campaign from Streets Kitchen, Museum of Homelessness, Islington councillors, and NHS England.

I usually work as a consultant to charities on culture change projects. That kind of work is a little thin on the ground right now so I’m happy to help out with anything where I can be useful. Here’s my Linked In profile so you can see the sort of thing I can do: general leadership, financial planning for charity sustainability and fundraising, mainly. Just reply to this email to contact me.

Learning points:

I confess I’ve found this week extremely difficult. I feel as though I’m skating over everything I’m doing and never really focusing. With emails, messages, social media coming at me in multiple ways, I was feeling the pressure to be “on” all the time. I decided to dial it down and focus my working hours into the mornings with a proper break for lunch and then finish up by about 4pm and protect my evenings.

What am I reading?

I’m trying to keep my reading as undemanding as possible at the moment. Now doesn’t feel like the moment to finally grapple through Ulysses. I’m also trying to read things to take my mind off reality. Sarah Gailey’s Magic for Liars about mages and detectives hits the nail on the head.

What am I listening to?

Clare and I are both working from home at the moment and we’ve been listening to a different radio station every day. A new one on me the other day was Chris Country. Country is generally not a genre I enjoy, but we live in strange times.

Joy-giving things

My family and friends all around the world have been sharing our thoughts and experiences during this time mostly by email. It inspired me to set up a blog to save our stories to make them easier to find for us and anyone else. I’d love to have more contributions. Have a look here.

I hope you’re all getting some down time during this disaster. I’m spending today watching films and, later on, Armistead Maupin is reading a chapter from the new book he’s writing live on Facebook at 5pm.

Happy weekends, dear readers.