November 23, 2020

5 simple reasons why people can’t follow the rules during the pandemic

Source: Pexels

5 simple reasons why people can’t follow the rules during the pandemic.

I’m a fan of Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC’s top doctor. I admire her leadership skills, her amazing empathy and her unrelenting belief that if people are given the right information and it is adequately explained to them, they will do the right thing.

She delivers a regular message on the status of COVID-19 in the province, and I am struck by the types of media questions that are being asked of her and the human ‘frailties’ the questions reveal in terms of how people respond to a virus we knew nothing about when the pandemic was announced in March, and that we are forced to learn about ‘on the run’.

COVID-19 is an extreme example of a shocking unpredicted body blow that every element of our society is absorbing in various ways with various outcomes.

Some organizations are morphing how they do business to conform to the new physical distancing rules, school systems are reinventing themselves to employ both in-class and virtual teaching and individuals are having to adjust their personal lives to keep themselves and everyone around them safe in the ‘new normal’.

While organizations are pivoting to conduct themselves differently in the COVID world, individuals seem to be having a more difficult time adjusting; they are struggling to adapt with the pandemic reality and the personal changes that it demands.

They are exposing some fundamental human frailties that in normal times pose a challenge for change leaders in organizations wanting to change their strategic direction and pursue a different course. But in COVID times, these frailties, by my observation, are accentuated, thus imposing an even greater challenge.

I’ve observed 5 COVID-induced frailties that must be addressed by individuals and leaders now more than ever.

1. People need to be told what to do

In every private, public or political organization, there is a role for a directive style of leadership. For example, effective leaders, albeit with employee input, decide on the business plan of the organization; it’s not created by consensus. And when it’s hit with a competitive assault, the leader makes the call on what response best serves all stakeholders.

Ironically, in uncertain and stressful COVID times, people want more direction in their lives not less. Dr Bonnie doesn’t provide public orders for every sector, nor does she provide specific rules for every personal and family situation.

Dr. B provides general guidelines which she expects every person to apply to their own circumstance. She does not tell people what specifically to do.

People are having trouble with this approach. They want to be told what to do. They are willing to have less say in the practices and rules that are required to stem the transmission of the virus and demand more command-type direction from leadership even though leadership is in a similar position of not completely understanding the correct action to take. They are ok with giving up their rights to control their own personal outcome.

The frailty revealed — people don’t want to think for themselves in trying times; rather they are willing to put their trust in someone who, by virtue of the leadership position they hold, is perceived to have the all right answers.
This ‘delegation up’ mentality in times of uncertainty and stress is troublesome as it’s essentially an abdication of one’s responsibility to take as much ownership of issues affecting them as they can.

Leaders need to engage people now more than ever on the issues and encourage them to take control of their lives. Yes, provide the direction needed but encourage individuals to be more active in and expressive of their own needs in the decision making process.

2. People have difficulty dealing with vagueness

My observation is that most people struggle with translating concepts and principles into personal action; they’re not totally comfortable with thinking holistically and deriving what they specifically should do to support the general thought and direction given.

For example, people have trouble grasping what physical distancing means in a variety of settings where the number of people allowed is a function of the size of the space available.

For example, when Dr Bonnie says you can have a maximum of 50 people at a gathering except in a 500 square foot condo it has to be a fewer number, I can see people throw up their hands and say “Is it 50 or not? Make up your mind!” And they’re surprised when they get hit with a $2,000 fine for having a party with an elbow-to-elbow crowd.

“Viruses don’t pay attention to our wishes” — The Honorable Adrian Dix, BC Health Minister

The world is not precise and this virus certainly doesn’t follow any formula. We MUST get used to living and making decisions based on a general understanding of the issues and trying many things to see what works and what doesn’t.

The frailty revealed — people expect solid lines when there are none. They expect clear focus when it’s impossible. All of us must get used to living with moments of discomfort and determining the appropriate way forward with just a minimal amount of concrete facts.
In this type of environment, planning on the run is the only practical way of dealing with the imprecision that uncertainty brings.

3. People don’t like leaders changing their minds

Leaders declare a course of action based on the best information they have at the time; experience yields things that work well and things that don’t. And based on the results and learnings achieved, leaders pivot on their original plan and advocate a change in direction.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Dr Bonnie suggested that people should keep a minimum physical distance of 3 meters (6 feet) between themselves in order to minimize the risk of transmitting the virus; this was the medical opinion at the time.

As time marched on and more was learned about how COVID was transmitted in various environments, Dr Bonnie described circumstances where a 1 meter physical separation was ‘probably safe’. Of course the other factor considered in the physical distancing issue was the need to get our kids back to school with a hybrid learning model and new school room topologies.

People are frustrated over this apparent change of position. They see this as a lack of leadership competence and shout out “Why couldn’t you get it right the first time?”.

The frailty revealed — people expect leaders to declare a plan and stick to it. It takes most of us time to understand and support why we are going in a certain direction, and when that direction is changed we lose our anchor and have to go through the process of understanding and taking action on a new direction all over again.
The challenge is for people to accept that we live in a world of relentless and unpredictable change and that if we don’t move with it, we’re done.

4. People like ‘the stick’ more than ‘the carrot’

It’s not unusual in a Dr Bonnie update to hear some media person ask the question “Do you think we need to take tougher measures with people who are violating the rules rather than continuing with the current gentle approach of encouraging them to change?”

Dr Bonnie believes that people want to do the right thing and that what is needed is to provide the right information to the public and encourage the behaviour needed to reduce the transmission of the virus.
‘Be kind, be gentle and be safe’ is her mantra and it drives her decision-making in public health matters.

The frailty revealed — people believe that noncompliance should be dealt with by imposing punitive measures rather than trying to achieve the desired outcome by changing behaviour. For the leader in chaotic times this frailty demands a balance of behaviour-changing and enforcement actions.

5. People like to manipulate to justify their own behaviour

Most of us don’t like change. Period. It’s unsettling, risky and downright uncomfortable. And when we find ourselves thrust in a new environment our first impulse is to hold on to our old ways rather than willingly move to a different paradigm.

Dr Bonnie’s direction, when the number of infections is on the rise, is that we adopt a ‘same six’ approach to govern our social interactions. It’s pretty straightforward: try and engage only with the same six people in your bubble; the risk for transmitting the virus increases as you interact with different people.

The actual behaviour exhibited by people, however, tends to be mixed with some believing they need only keep their circle to six friends and relatives while others understand they need to pull back and only engage with the same six people.

Those in the non-change group (incorrectly) interpret the rule to mean that it’s ok to engage with six different people everyday because it serves their past social norm which they steadfastly want to hold on to.

The frailty revealed — people tend to be selective in what they hear in the rules they are asked to follow. They pick and choose those parts that fit their past behaviour pattern and practise them; they ignore the personal change implications that the new rule requires.

For the leader, this is a major issue if real change is required. They must anticipate that this frailty will be revealed and have a plan to deal with it. This often requires communicating in excruciating detail exactly what the new rule means and what it doesn’t mean; painting a picture for people to reduce the amount of ‘wiggle room’ they have to avoid making the changes necessary.

Human idiosyncrasies have always existed; they have always challenged any change movement whether it involves an organization changing its strategic direction or an individual making a new career choice.

COVID has magnified the whole adaptive process for us all, however, and we must find a way within ourselves to move to our new world if we are ever to see the light at the end…

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead book series

• Posted 11.23.20 at 06:22 am by Roy Osing
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November 21, 2020

Stand Alone Careers: Why Yours Skyrocket When You’re DiFFERENT

Stand Alone Careers: Why Yours Skyrocket When You’re DiFFERENT

Sorry, but blending in is career suicide. 😵

In a world drowning in copycats and corporate clones, being “good enough” is a one-way ticket to irrelevance.

If you’re not different, you’re invisible—and invisibility doesn’t get promotions, raises, or opportunities.

Invisibility gets you lost in a sea of sameness, sipping lukewarm ambition.

But how do you actually become different?

It’s not about being weird for weird’s sake. It’s about being intentionally, unmistakably you in a special way that other people CARE about.

Start by surprising people.

Deliver before deadlines.

Over-prepare.

Under-promise and over-deliver until their jaws drop.

Be the person who doesn’t just meet expectations—you shatter them. 💥🎯

Perform at unimaginable levels.

Don’t aim for “good.” Aim for “how is this even possible?!”

Outwork, outthink, and out-create everyone in the room.

Exceed what people believe is possible—especially what you thought was possible.

When faced with a challenge, ask yourself: “How can I do this differently?”

Don’t regurgitate what’s always been done.

Reject the “Gargle Google” approach—endless searching for someone else’s answer.

Find your own path. Build your own solution. Your uniqueness lives outside the search bar. 🧭🔍

And here’s the real secret: fail a lot.

Try. Try. Try again.

Failure isn’t the enemy—mediocrity is.

The more you stumble, the more you learn. The more you learn, the more original you become.

Don’t follow trends—set them.

Don’t mimic success—define your own.

Your career isn’t a template. It’s your signature.

It’s your story.

And if that story sounds like everyone else’s, why would anyone turn the page?

Stand out?  Stand up. Or don’t stand at all.

Your DiFFERENCE is your value.

Your originality is your leverage.

Now go use it. 🚀👑

Subscribe to my blog for more uncomfortable truths (and less comfortable lies).

Cheers,
Roy
My Podcast Show Audacious Moves to A BILLION shares the specific Moves I made to achieve jaw-dropping growth in an insanely competitive internet business.

”The Audacious Unheard of Ways I Took a Startup to A BILLION IN SALES” is the latest in my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series.

• Posted 11.21.20 at 06:00 am by Roy Osing
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November 21, 2020

4 proven ways business chaos can be made into an exciting opportunity

4 proven ways business chaos can be made into an exciting opportunity.

Many people would probably think that the metaphor ‘thinking out of the box’ is a cliche. But it actually sums up why chaos breeds new ideas and opportunities. There is nothing more out of the box than being thrown out of whack.

For example, the chaos of the last World Wars we encountered brought about an industrial revolution, unlike any other. The example may be extreme, but it does make the point.

Currently, the world is experiencing an event that threw the word ‘normal’ out of the door. The Covid-19 pandemic has re-arranged our way of life in a matter of months, and only now are we starting to cope. While the epidemic has negatively affected traditional businesses, it did also open up new opportunities. This global health crisis has, in a way, became an equaliser in the business sense.

What is happening now is chaotic, and once again, opportunities abound at every turn. Tragic as it may seem, these current events are also hotbeds of new ideas to take advantage of.

You can see younger people, those who weren’t really concerned about the future before, are now opening up savings accounts for various purposes including retirement. People who usually don’t give a thought about saving or starting a business are now actively gearing up to handle the unknown future.

Using the chaos to your benefit

When you are comfortable, the tendency is to be complacent. Being relaxed is good and not a bad thing in itself, but comfort can lead to stagnation.

Upsetting the balance and veering away from the norm will usually lead to new and better things, depending on the person. When a person becomes uncomfortable, that is the only time that they will move. This is the same thing in the world of business.

Disruptions, particularly chaotic ones, are significant catalysts of reforms in the business world. One either gets overwhelmed by them or puts them to use.

Experiencing hardship is nothing new to entrepreneurs because they have been dealing with this from the moment they started their businesses.

Whether it is launching a new product, dealing with employee problems, generating more sales, and even budget problems, real business owners know that obstacles are normal and they help the company innovate.

Not everyone is ready to handle these obstacles, but there are ways on how we can deal with hardships. There are strategic frameworks that anyone can follow to flip the situation from a debilitating one in a vessel for improvement.

Here are some of the best ways to turn any crisis into opportunities:

1. Be calm and keep a cool head

Panic never did anyone any good, and keeping a cool head has never been more appropriate or applicable in a chaotic situation in any business.
Companies are living in turbulent times all the time to varying degrees, and CEOs who keep a calm head survive and even thrive.

Leaders are often already equipped with the basics of handling a crisis, but having a crisis management team can ensure that you can minimise the impact of chaos on your business.

Keep a list of employees or build a team who you can go to when the mess hits the fan. Your crisis management team should be able to help you assess how problems can be used as the stepping stone to success.

We have many examples, but just take a look at Microsoft. It is one of the biggest companies in the world and it was founded at a time of economic crisis. Take a look at its success now to measure how chaos has been turned into a great opportunity.

2. Shift your mindset

Not everyone will be able to do this in a pinch, but if one wants to survive chaos in their business or workplace, you have to shift your mindset.

This translates to making an effort and forcing your perception to see the good and see the opportunities in the developing scenario. When you can do this, you stop being rooted and immobile and instead, you begin to act.

As part of conquering the mindset, acceptance has a lot to do with making the right decisions. Along with approval comes the clarity to make the right choices and decisions. With acceptance, the tendency to be angry and clouded is minimal, and therefore the flow of decisions to better counteract the situation is more straightforward.

3. Think negatively

Seems counterproductive, right? It would seem so, but it is an advantageous trait when it comes to planning. By thinking about all the things that can go wrong, you and your team can better manage it when it happens.

By considering all the angles that can go wrong, there would be minimal to no surprises. This idea is not a new one but goes way back in history where all the evils are premeditated in battle.

This idea is often referred to as the premortem, and people in the business widely use it.

The idea is to practice hindsight in advance so as not to be caught by surprise. The chaotic event will not render you immobile by applying this, having anticipated it, and imagined it coming.

4. Get help from others

Most entrepreneurs fail to recognise that they can seek help from others. By others, we mean peers in the business, those who have been doing it, and those who have been in the business for far longer than you have.

Friends and relatives are no exception because they may provide a unique perspective to your business problem.

You can also reach out in a professional capacity, meaning hiring a coach or a mentor to help guide you along the way. Be open to being influenced by outside sources of your choosing.

The point is to acknowledge that you are never alone. Recognise the importance of inputs from people with more experience or those who have a different perspective to you.

Wrapping this up

Acceptance, the proper mindset, and preparation for the worst can be applied to all aspects of life, and not just in business. The ability to turn something negative into an opportunity is not an inherent one, but it can be learned by practicing and never giving up.

— Angeline Licerio is a content writer for Elevate Corporate Training, a team of corporate trainers committed to improving performance of individuals and teams within organisations.

• Posted 11.21.20 at 04:15 am by Roy Osing
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November 19, 2020

Thoughtful Thursday: Important Reasons Seeking Validation Is Disgusting

Thoughtful Thursday: Important Reasons Seeking Validation Is No Good

In a world saturated with likes, follows, and constant feedback, it’s easy to fall into the trap of seeking external validation.

We measure our worth by how many people applaud our choices, affirm our appearance, or celebrate our achievements.

But here’s the hard truth: relying on others for approval is a shaky foundation for self-worth.

It’s time to stop chasing validation and start building real, unshakable confidence from within. 🔥

Validation-seeking behavior keeps us trapped in a cycle of anxiety and insecurity.

Every compliment feels temporary; every critique feels personal.

We become people-pleasers, molding ourselves to fit others’ expectations rather than honoring our own values and desires.

This isn’t authenticity—it’s performance.

And it’s exhausting. 😮💨

True confidence doesn’t come from a comment section or a pat on the back.

True confidence comes from self-respect, earned through action.

It’s built by setting boundaries, taking risks, failing, learning, and trying again.

It’s the quiet assurance that you can handle whatever comes your way—not because others believe in you, but because you believe in yourself. 🧠✨

Start small.

Make decisions without polling your friends.

Pursue goals that matter to you, even if they aren’t trendy.

Embrace discomfort—it’s where growth happens.

And when you stumble? Own it. Learn from it. Keep going.

Confidence isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being resilient.

It’s trusting your judgment, valuing your own opinion, and standing firm even when no one is clapping. 🛑

So put down the phone.

Tune out the noise.

Stop asking for permission.

#ThoughtfulThursday—Your validation doesn’t live in someone else’s approval—it lives in your courage to be yourself, unapologetically.

That’s where real power begins. 🚀

If you’re tired of the coddling and crave more unfiltered takes, subscribe for weekly doses of uncomfortable truths.

Cheers,
Roy
My Podcast Show Audacious Moves to A BILLION shares the specific Moves I made to achieve jaw-dropping growth in an insanely competitive internet business.

”The Audacious Unheard of Ways I Took a Startup to A BILLION IN SALES” is the latest in my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series.

• Posted 11.19.20 at 06:00 am by Roy Osing
• Permalink