Into The Unknown!

Frozen 2 is the official “movie of the moment.” Who would have thought that a Disney movie might have so much in common with today’s events? Aside from the title and main song, Disney broke all norms to release Frozen 2 on the Disney+ streaming platform this past Saturday; a full three months ahead of schedule. We are truly living in a time when business and societal norms are being stretched and scrutinized as never before. For a little fun this week, today’s article is a bit more Disney than insight and analysis of the HR Perfect Storm.
As my family deals with empty schedules and no school this week, we’re working on life in the unknown. Frozen 2 seemed to settle in as a marker of sorts for this period for a few reasons. In addition to the title, describing how most feel, it’s relevant songs, “Into the Unknown” and “Lost in the Woods;” seem appropriate for the day. My son, in his desire to play the piano, has been learning how to play “Lost in the Woods” and has gotten quite good. The lyrics from “Lost in the Woods;” “North is south, right is left” or “Up is down, day is night” pretty much describe how many feel as we shift to “social distancing.”
In the past week we’ve seen an unprecedented shutting down of society. Major sports, conferences and travel have been ground to a halt, or Frozen. Crazier still is watching the entertainment behemoth Disney shut down it’s parks, hotels, restaurants, shops and cruise line for a minimum of two weeks. If that isn’t “North is south,” “Up is down” I don’t know what is. I think the parks have been closed a maximum of 5 days combined in the past 60 years – so this is significant!
Organizations are pulling out their dusty contingency plans to put them in action. Not since 9/11 have I seen so much use of the term WebEx and Virtual Meeting. Even “working remotely” is getting a brand refresh for the better. It’s a times like these that I think there’s an opportunity to treat our business and even home life as a drydock of sorts. While it may be difficult to see the good at times like these, I’ll choose to be optimistic and upbeat versus gloom and doom.
As normal daily activity dwindles, now is the time to tackle those efforts that usually get placed at the bottom of the priority list. If you’re looking for a book to binge on Audible, I would suggest a classic, Tom Peter’s “Re-Imagine.” It’s probably my favorite business book of all time as he takes a no-holds approach to the reimagining of most business and education paradigms. It’s hard to “imagine” a better time than now to “Re-Imagine” how business can be done. In the meantime, wash your hands often, be kind to one another, shop local, tip generously and look for the good in all things. Spoiler alert, Frozen 2 has a happy ending; I choose to believe this will too.