What Leadership Questions Did 2020 Leave You with for 2021?

Photo by Vladimir Fedotov on Unsplash

What a year. Impeachment trial, almost war with Iran, pandemic, Black Lives Matter, hunger lines, loss of lives, and cascading economic, social, and health consequences.

During the past few months, I’ve struggled on and off with some depression. I’ve had difficulty connecting with people—across political divides and in the daily Zoom calls. I’ve worried about friends and family members. I’ve felt anxious going to the grocery story. I’ve felt craven isolating in the house. I’ve had difficulty reconciling my relative safety with what I saw on the news and feeling mostly powerless except through small acts like voting and donating. I don’t know how to talk about all of this. I’ve avoided writing blog posts.

I’ve wondered about the paradox of writing about authentic leadership and not wanting to discuss any of this. Is it ok to bring these feelings to work? Is it ok for a leader to share feeling down? Worried? Hopeless?

What happens when my aspirational nature and my truth clash? I feel the urge to write something like, “in times like these you just have to keep going” or “start small and keep taking steps,” but I will not. There will be time for that later. I want us to sit with the above questions. I’m also curious about your questions.

What questions did 2020 trigger for how you will lead in 2021?