How are you? And I mean really how are you?

I for one feel like the past couple of years have brought on tons of reflection. And I know I’m not the only one.

Have you been thinking, dreaming and scheming about what you want your ‘normal’ to look like? We’ve been talking about a return to normal for a while now, but I feel like we’re still in the middle of reinventing it and defining it for ourselves.

There’s no denying these times have brought on plenty of heaviness for many of us, but as I sit down to write this, there’s also a bit of a…thrill, a sliver of hope and excitement at what could be.

Do you get that too?

I mean, what if…

We made choices that supported how we want to live?

We said NO to squeezing into old ways of doing things?

We chose to have the difficult conversations that make us leave the room with our heads high?

What if we were honest with ourselves about what we really want?

All these possibilities give me goosebumps. For me and for you.

But I also know that for many of us it’s a very challenging landscape to be leading through.

Every week at the moment I am talking with clients who are struggling with turnover in their teams: keeping the people they want and attracting good people to fill the gaps.

I’m also talking with people who are actively choosing to have difficult conversations at work to protect the lifestyle gains they have made with flexible work over the past few years.

For many this means not returning to the office full time. For others, it means setting out on new ventures, changing jobs, moving to the country, beach or even overseas. Some families who have homeschooled through lockdowns are taking to the road with their children as they realise they can do both working and learning a bit differently.

Does that ring a bell for you too?

For me and for you, this is definitely the ‘Greatest Reorganisation’ we’ve known in our working lives.

The good news? Change brings opportunity. And while I acknowledge the challenges wholeheartedly, I can’t help but see so much opportunity for us all to upgrade the way we lead to fit the times.