It’s times like this when I miss morning coffee with friends the most. We all feel so stressed from working during a pandemic, worrying about the health of our families and the people we serve. We fear for our health, our finances, and our lives – worst of all we feel we are alone without the hugs and handshakes of our friends, family, and co-workers.
I don’t talk about my experience in the Army that often, but I wanted to share one quick story with that I think about often:
“When we were in Baghdad in early 2006, we had just lost two service members in one week and we were getting mortared and rocketed twice daily – we were demoralized, frazzled, and lost. Our leader told us, “I know this is tough and frightening. I’m scared too, but we have each other. Look at each other and ask genuinely, ‘How are you?’ and do not accept ‘I’m fine,’ because no one here is fine. Leaders, find your troops that are isolated, and pull them out. Make them aware that they have you to lean on. We will not give into complacency and apathy while we still have this team. There are more fights out there to be had and we need you.”
Then he said, “Now, go, history is watching.”
Find someone you work with and ask them how they are, because they aren’t fine. Find your troops that are alone and let them know they aren’t alone. Tell someone how you really are. Find the story you want to tell when someone asks you years from now, “What did you do during the pandemic of 2020?”
History is watching,
Robert Collins, LCSW, LSSGB, is Team Building and Ropes Course Manager for CHRIS 180. To learn more about our team building and training opportunities for your teams, email [email protected].
