Upended

Can confusion help us find clarity?

Thanksgiving and the upcoming holidays give us a time to think about what we have and where we are in our lives. This year, in addition to being grateful for my health, family, friends and career, I find myself reflecting deeply on where we all are as we emerge-- at times shakily, at times with exuberance-- from this past, and second, pandemic year. 

What did having our lives upended so completely result in, finally, on an emotional and intellectual level? What did it result in on a professional level? In material terms? In terms of our place in the world? 

What do we now see or comprehend that we didn’t before?

For many many of us, this upending has been nothing less than an awakening, a spur that has forced us to heed what matters most to us and to put it at the center of our lives. How else to explain an economic downturn that results in a labor shortage? How else to understand the unprecedented spike in people leaving their jobs during uncertain times? 

The media are full of data points and case studies about what has been variously called the Great Resignation or the Great Reckoning.  I myself have enough anecdotal evidence in my own circle of acquaintance to fill an entire book (it so happens I am writing a book on another subject, but it dovetails with this phenomenon so I’ll be addressing it in future newsletters). 

For the current phenomenon, I prefer the term the Great Reckoning, because most of us have been inventorying and wrestling in our souls about what matters most to us. I also see and hear from people who are behaving with intention and agency–- the opposite of just ‘resigning,’ with its implication of calling it quits.

The whys and wherefores are as varied as all of us, especially those who have taken a job-changing or life-changing plunge.  Working from home has been a catalyst, leading many of us to realize for example how much we were missing home and family, or how our regular commute or constant business travel was exhausting us and wasting our time. We may have discovered that we love working more autonomously, or feel good about reducing our carbon footprint.

Chris Hayes, the MSNBC anchor, falls into this category. In recent segments on what he calls the Great Disruption, he notes the differences between today and 2011, when his eldest daughter was born and he took a just few days off but was back at work that very week:  “Not taking more time for her birth is one of the huge regrets of my life, I still think about it,” he says, also noting that he used to enjoy traveling for work and staying in hotels, but no more. Now, he says, “the daily routine is profoundly different, as it is for basically everybody in America...the benefits of that are that I see my wife and family a lot more...the domestic sphere is constantly present...I am grateful for basically every second, which has actually been a huge part of the experience of this—just gratitude, constant gratitude, about family and health, and all those things.”

While upheaval has had unexpected benefits for many, others of us have been motivated by more painful experiences. We may have realized that life is too short to work in a bullying or disrespectful workplace. Or we may have objected to overbearing policy imperatives that force us to choose between safety and a paycheck. Or we may simply have recognized that we have long felt frustrated by a career choice we made in a very different time and want to use this moment to level up our skills and try something new.

Whatever the root of our decision to make a change or adjust our perspective, the process is complex and highly personal. Yet the sum of all this rethinking is an unprecedented shift that is transforming the global careerosphere.   

So we are part of something new, something bigger than us, which our individual decisions are nevertheless helping to shape. It’s an important, life-changing, society-changing moment that bears witnessing and understanding. 

Throughout this month, I’ll be taking stock of this phenomenon and its implications, sharing my observations with you in these pages. I’m interested in knowing your thoughts and reactions as well: how is this affecting you, your family, your kids, your community? Please join the conversation by adding your comments below.