#deeds
This week so far has been a week of good deeds. People connecting and wanting to talk and make sense and check-in with me and ask about me and the other people I love and care about, and for.
Deeds of kindness, commitment, consideration and support.
Of course, none of this is even possible, and are of course small, compared to the deeds done by those people we now call ‘key workers’. ironically, often on low or lowish incomes.
Often referred to as ‘unskilled’ and generally categorised as those who do what they do because they aren’t able to get anything ‘better’. What do you mean like a hedge-fund manager better? Or a marketing analyst better? I’m not deriding those jobs but all of a sudden there are irrelevances to many people’s livelihood when the COVID-19 outbreak upends all we knew as ‘normal’.
I’m in that category. I’m a consulting advisor in HR, Organisation Design/Development and Change. Yah, I don’t deliver food, I’m not a health or social care worker and I’m not working in logistics. The world doesn’t need me like it needs those key workers right now. And I can blissfully deal with that.
Because in the current world order we have a distorted sense of value. Deeds that are kind, selfless and compassionate rarely come with an invoice or a bar code.
When who we are is measured by the job label we have it can become a bit distorted. Take my chosen profession: HR. Often called out as the ‘thought police’ and ‘don’t say that in front of HR’ or ‘HR was useless when I needed them, they just quoted the rule book’.
Now I see many of my fellow professionals in the most unreal and stressful situations having to deliver bad news as part of company shut-downs. Having to redeploy people and make decisions on people’s lives that are truly heartbreaking and devastating.
So guess what? When things like this tragedy happens, we see many people have to step up, lean in and put themselves in the most challenging of psychological times. Of course, not like those in healthcare dealing with patients dying of COVID-19 infection, yet still challenging and harsh.
I am though, fortunate as I’ve been able to work with those dedicated public servants, charities and ‘conscious’ companies where people really do matter. I spent my entire paid career in the public and charitable sector. 28 years.
I still love my public and charitable sector clients and get to work with them a lot. I see the dedication, I sense the frustration over years of cuts and I adore the positive and applied actions that come from the work I do with them.
They are heroes and inspiring to me. And I’m still one of those seemingly irrelevant labels that in the midst of this pandemic, just doesn’t matter.
I’m not saying that to elicit a reaction of how much value I create etc. I am comfortable in the knowledge that what I do helps people who in turn, help others doing the really tough stuff in adverse circumstances.
What I DO want to focus on for this piece is deeds. Deeds we can do for other people and with no expectation in return.
Like my parent’s neighbour Claire. She probably won’t ever read this post. Yet day-on-day she checks in on my Mum and Dad. She gets them essential groceries. She makes them feel comfortable in isolation that I am not able to do. Sure I text my Dad and call my Mum, but Claire’s doing the deeds I want to do but in isolation, I’m refraining from. OK, I’ve got them some online stuff delivered but all I am in a click agent for them. Claire’s deeds are just, kind and considerate.
I won’t forget your deeds, Claire.
Like the client who brought me to tears the other day when they asked me to do some work and would pay me now to effectively keep the business I love and have built up over the past 8 years going through these troubled times. And the call we had today where we plotted what could effectively help them in a couple of key ways that might -just might- help their company rise up after this pandemic’s ramifications have subsided.
I won’t forget your deeds NP and MW.
Like the wonderful group of people who responded to my #heartbreak post in other ways. Such kindness, consideration and warmth shown lifted me at a time I was truly lost.
I won’t forget your deeds (you know who you are).
Like the fabulous check-ins and support from #TeamPTHR. What a bunch of people who’ve come together to help the work I love so much happen and have taken all of this outbreak fallout in their stride.
I won’t forget your deeds Broch, Catalina, Crystal, Emily, Jessica, Kirsten and now Matteo and Barbara too.
And I thought about all the kind deeds that have been bestowed on me throughout my life and recent times in work and friendship. Too many to mention but again, you’ll know who you are.
A little story about deeds from my perspective.
I lecture a bit. It’s not an easy gig. On your own; pushing out content to a prescribed academic brief that helps people get a qualification.
In those groups, there are often students who stand out. Whilst I don’t want to show favouritism because of that, I often like to offer perspectives, connections and things that may help those people who are more engaged in my teaching.
One such deed was to a student who shone, was keen, asked questions, answered mine and so I got to know them a tiny bit. I offered to help once the course was over in case of anything they might need about the topic or their work, and there was a genuine non-reciprocal nature to it. It was never taken up. I don’t mind that because I’m the sort of person that gets a kick out of offering and helping others.
And then this week, there was a conversation about a piece of work that might happen via that student. It hasn’t been confirmed. But it was hopeful in the big hole that is now my calendar.
I started to think ‘why would they think of me for that piece of work?’ And then I remembered the deed. Not even a real deed but an offer of a deed. It may, just may, have been the overriding factor in them choosing me for this potential piece of work.
You see, we do deeds all the time. We like to be thanked and respected for the kindness we show, but we don’t always get it and we don’t always need it.
We do deeds because we care. Because we want to and because it’s the considerate thing to do.
So I’m thinking about the deeds I can do for those people in the companies that are keeping things going in these troubled times.
And the deeds I can do to help us educate and learn from this current tragedy and fallout.
And the deeds I can do to help people one-by-one through conversations, shared comments, responses — whatever.
Gestures, acknowledgements, responses, time, listening, a message, a supportive call — there’s a lot we can do that doesn’t take much effort. Won’t cost a thing. Won’t take up a lot of your time. Good deeds for others.
And this is highlighted in our current way of being — isolated in our homes by the COVID-19 it’s our deeds we do that will be remembered and hopefully will form our new world order ways.
So people in organisations being harsh, cold, neglectful or downright nasty about how they handle their colleagues about the COVID-19 implications. Post-pandemic a lot of us will say:
Screw you: when we needed you to look after us, you cast us aside. We will remember your deeds for all the wrong reasons.
People in organisations who decide to try and upsell and capitalise on our fears, confusion and panic, are vulgar and dishonourable. Post-pandemic a lot of us will say:
Screw you: when the last thing we wanted was being sold to in a pushy way distracting us from our core focus. We will remember your deeds for all the wrong reasons.
People being irresponsible in the way they conduct their lives trivialising this dangerous virus with your assholery. We will remember your foolish deeds at a time when basic humanity and civic duty were overridden by your oblivious, selfish and careless ways of being that will define you for the rest of your lives.
But there’s fight back. People close to me have offered up ideas and suggestions; interventions and activities and yes, deeds. To not press reset when this is all over and carry on regardless. To create something fitting to those who have contracted and lost their fight for lives to this horrid disease.
I’m privileged that I know smart, ethical, moral, clever, soulful people who want to reinvent not recover.
So far this is mere concepts and sketches but it’s animating those I’ve talked to. It’s galvanised a spirit. It’s created an urge to act. To commit to deeds of good, virtuous and helpful things for those in the real battles out there. The key workers.
And that takes the form of things that could help exhausted, hyper-stretched organisations reinvent and redesign things in real-time whilst doing their most committed work of their lives.
Educating us all in real-time about what’s next and how to navigate to that leaving the bad deeds of the current system as annals in history.
Creating responsive businesses that can adapt to make ventilators, protective equipment, logistics, caring and compassionate ways to mothball entire industries and not leave them to rot and die whilst we are in isolated states.
If you’re interested in deeds of this nature, let me know. We are aiming to build a coalition of activists with the hearts, souls and minds to cope in the now, and build for the next.
Now and next — our deeds define us. Let’s do the deeds we know matter. In our heart of hearts, our future selves will thank us for doing the deeds of virtue, honour and valour.
Deeds of love for the lives lost and lives to lead.
