Paradigms Lost: Mitigation and Adaptation in a Time of COVID-19
By Dan Boyle
August 2020
I had a great future in my past. Years ago I had a car accident on my way to a busy day as a sales manager. I was rattled. Adrenaline enhanced my anxiety, but I had to understand that my paradigm needed to shift.
These are not normal days. The tale of COVID-19 is one of significant disruption; some disruption may be temporary. Other paradigms may be lost forever. We confront a new reality. Moving forward, our strategies to survive, thrive and achieve our dreams need to be reconsidered.
Three fundamental steps can help us face this challenge: acceptance, assessment, and adaptation. The first step, acceptance, is to acknowledge our current reality; accept that life has changed. The second step, assessment, is to consider likely future scenarios and how those affect our vision going forward. These scenarios move from good, to bad, to ugly, depending upon our success with mitigation. The third step, adaptation, is to integrate those considerations to revise our vision, objectives, and action plans.
An aspect of COVID-19 that parallels climate change is social cost, where our individual actions affect everyone else. It feels like a Hobson’s choice: proceed with normal social interaction and spread the infection or stay at home and destroy the economy. Fortunately, the optimal path is in between the extremes. Together we can build back a great future again.
Download PDF to read full article
August 2020
I had a great future in my past. Years ago I had a car accident on my way to a busy day as a sales manager. I was rattled. Adrenaline enhanced my anxiety, but I had to understand that my paradigm needed to shift.
These are not normal days. The tale of COVID-19 is one of significant disruption; some disruption may be temporary. Other paradigms may be lost forever. We confront a new reality. Moving forward, our strategies to survive, thrive and achieve our dreams need to be reconsidered.
Three fundamental steps can help us face this challenge: acceptance, assessment, and adaptation. The first step, acceptance, is to acknowledge our current reality; accept that life has changed. The second step, assessment, is to consider likely future scenarios and how those affect our vision going forward. These scenarios move from good, to bad, to ugly, depending upon our success with mitigation. The third step, adaptation, is to integrate those considerations to revise our vision, objectives, and action plans.
An aspect of COVID-19 that parallels climate change is social cost, where our individual actions affect everyone else. It feels like a Hobson’s choice: proceed with normal social interaction and spread the infection or stay at home and destroy the economy. Fortunately, the optimal path is in between the extremes. Together we can build back a great future again.
Download PDF to read full article
| Paradigms Lost: Mitigation and Adaptation in a Time of COVID-19 |
