When Just Imagine welcomed 2020 back in January, our first blog of the year was all about leading in times of change. Who would've guessed that theme would become so omnipresent for the whole year? We certainly didn't.
From an editorial perspective, COVID-19 certainly threw our way of thinking, being and writing into a tailspin as fundamental parts of our world changed. Our writers were more than happy to come along for the ride and pen their perspectives on how people, places and communities were adapting.
As we wrap up the year, let us take the time to reflect on what transpired these past 11 months and the lessons we have learned through our most popular Just Imagine blogs in 2020:
1. When the world comes to a grinding halt, what do you do next?
History shows that life changes significantly after a major event. Do you hunker down, and hope that when things are over, you'll still be able to put up an open for business sign?
The trap in this thinking is that your customers' behaviours are likely to have changed. They might not want your products or services in the way you had previously delivered them.
2. The sobering lessons for climate change that COVID-19 teaches us – but is anyone listening?
The biggest difference between climate change and COVID-19 is immediacy, both in terms of time and space. Coronavirus kills people today and we can see and understand the consequences on TV, radio, internet and social media.
But climate change is incremental, discussed in terms of 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius of warming over decades.
3. The office space is dead. All hail the office space
Owners and designers of office buildings are now faced with a conundrum that can't be solved with physical buildings alone.
Just as COVID-19 is creating new jobs (social distancing consultants and in-flight janitors anyone?), we'll need to see the term 'space' as not just a physical one but a new interpretation that blends the physical with the digital.
4. Flattening the post-pandemic transport curve
The question of what we do post-COVID is a challenge that should not fall on the shoulders of government alone; engineers, designers, architects, town planners, financiers and land developers will have to step into the post-COVID dynamic, as will employers and employees.
It will be up to us all to ensure that whatever good comes of this epidemic is not only captured in new transport infrastructure, but in the way we use it.
5. Of leadership and labradoodles: do troubling times warrant a new breed of leader?
Leaders – who choose to lead – rely on the sum total of their experiences, honed over time, to guide them. There is no such thing, as a 'sure thing'. There are no guarantees that leadership development will deliver genuine leaders. We may have the genetic code, but we may not have the predisposition. It’s a choice.
Just Imagine will be taking a break for the holidays and will be back in 2021. A big THANK YOU to our readers and subscribers for continuing to join us in our journey to 'just imagine'.
Have a safe and restful holiday season!
