Lessons in this Year of Transition

It’s December, and I feel like I just started writing my thoughts from our first 2021 episode aired in February. Where did time go and how fast did it zip past us all? I know it’s quite cliche to say this, but it doesn’t make it any less true. 2021 zipped past me like a speed train, but it did make quite an impression.

We started off the year with McKinsey’s 2021 trends where our friends from McKinsey claimed that 2021 was going to be a year of transition. They said, barring any unexpected catastrophes, individuals, businesses and society can start to look forward to shaping their futures rather than just grinding through the present.

I loved this. I loved the word they used was transition. As we know, transition is defined as a period of changing one state or condition to another. And for me, using that term made all the difference. It managed expectations that it wasn’t a full on recovery just yet — but with transition came change and with change came the good stuff and the hard stuff. Change meant new, exciting and creative things. But change also meant pushing and pulling and rolling up sleeves. This quote, for me, challenged us all. To make the change happen, you had to start shaping and defining your own future.

And looking back, I think we did pretty great. Even if time passed us by so quickly, we took transition to the next level experience. And here at B2B, we had riveting discussions with really cool and amazing leaders who decided to claim the now normal and made it a new reality.

I go back to my earlier question: so, where did time go?

Time went to people. People who made sure that businesses would recover. People who upskilled themselves to conquer this new reality. People who advocated for changes in their organizations and the business environment so we could all transition seamlessly and meaningfully into this brave new world.

Time went to innovations. Concrete solutions that pushed the new reality agenda forward — whether digital transformation accelerated its coming to the world, or that it was just plain time to start advocating for these changes. Digital banking, edutech, insurtech, urban planning — you name it, time and effort and passion and determination and necessity all went there.

Time went to the new and the exciting. Hybrid work models, blended set-ups, trends coming and going as 2021 kept us creative and assessing. To keep up with the changes, we truly had to roll up our sleeves and roll with it — always two steps ahead, always on our toes. But it was exhilarating even when it was tiring, because we were defining what this new reality was going to be.

Time went to advocating for diversity, inclusion and belonging. We had very pointed discussions around gender equality and how this would help uplift us in a COVID world. Even more, having a diverse and inclusive workforce allowed people to grow, to be productive, to be creative, to be the best version of themselves. And that is key for a hip, happening organization that is serious about changing their communities and changing the world.

Time went to mental health and self care. I am so proud of all of the people who have stepped up in the name of mental health, advocating for it to be at the forefront of the business and people agenda, sharing their own personal stories, better practices and healing modalities as we navigated through the second year of the pandemic. I am so proud of those who said firmly: my mental health is as important as my physical well being and I am going to take care of myself. I am proud of those people who held a space for those who needed it, and are determined to continue cultivating safe spaces at work and at home. The work has started, and we must continue this.

Time went to building our partnerships and cultivating our tribes, our communities. We could only truly push forward if we could uplift, collaborate and work with each other in defining this future. I go back to one of my favorite proverbs: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. I truly believe we all want to go far and wide, and having our tribes and key partners with us will make it happen.

Time went to sustainable leadership. Board room (Zoom) talks shifted in a massive way not only in topics that needed to be covered, but in the energy that flowed. We looked not only into concrete solutions to keep businesses afloat, we looked into sustainable ways to make it through the “rain,” with our people, processes, products, profit and purpose all at the heart of it.

Time went to hope. That despite all the odds and all the uncertainties throughout the year, we rallied behind hope — the sincere, genuine and steadfast promise of a better future if we all worked together to beat this pandemic and pave a path for this new reality to shine.

People, innovation, mental health, sustainable solutions, partnerships, creativity, leadership and inclusivity. These are the elements that we built hope upon, and these are the elements that will pave the path for 2022 and beyond.

I know we’re all claiming for a better, bigger and brighter year ahead. Shaping the future never stops, so let’s all shape hard as we move forward.