Let it be remembered that 2021 came in on a Friday, guaranteeing a refreshing three-day weekend to start the year. For the record, 2020 came in on a Wednesday. We should’ve known.
While January 1 did not bring a reset of pre-pandemic bliss, 2021 does offer an opportunity to reflect on what we’ve learned and where we can go.
Here is a list of things I resolve to attempt this year. These are not in a particular order, but practicing them over the next 12 months will make a difference in my outlook and my interactions with the people I see on a daily basis. Maybe you’d like to join me.
- Around the ACS offices, I resolve to have my team first get up and walk over to the person with whom they want to communicate, use the intercom secondly, and, when all other options have failed, write an email. This one process change should eliminate hundreds of internal emails, freeing up valuable time.
- Speaking of email, I resolve to encourage my team to completely read the whole email before responding or reacting; and to stop interpreting inflections and tone in emails. This is why direct interaction is the preferred mode of 2021.
- Can we all agree to stop buying toilet paper and sanitizer JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE ON THE SHELF? I resolve to do just that.
- If we’re “all in this together,” why isn’t Congress? If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that blind partisanship doesn’t help anything. I resolve to be knowledgeable and active, but also gracious and courteous.
- I resolve to encourage everyone I encounter to pull their masks over their nose and mouth, not to wear it below their chin. The “chinstrap” mask is the new sagging jeans; both induce a slow head shake.
- I resolve to see an end to this COVID-19 madness and be able to welcome the truck drivers back onto our docks. Their presence and expertise are missed.
- Finally, I resolve to see Essential Workers get priority on vaccinations — we have to keep the engine running. There is no other viable backup plan.
These seven things — some small and day-to-day, some so large it seems out of my grasp — will not only make 2021 better, it will also set us on a greater path toward the future.