Semper Paratus

My classmate Amber had a great discussion with the group the other night. It's so fun to see the inner workings (even with broad, general strokes and no detail) of other industries and other types of work. Amber is former military, and now is a military mom whose husband is still in. They have to move every two years and despite that and homeschooling her kiddos, she is still working as a contractor for the government, in an administrative role. Still, it's fun to peak behind the curtains. 

It reminds me of the show Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. Every time I watched that show I would think to myself "Wow, there's a job with someone actually doing that!" I knew that someone was working with classified information and keeping the computers humming and lights on in different ways, but to hear it directly from the source is unique.

What she discussed about prepping to keep her administrative systems up and running during a pandemic, I think, is similar to what I've been focused on in terms of being ready for whatever next adventure we may run into, I remember the word Amber associated with herself was "adventurous." I like the idea of being adaptable and prepared. Semper Paratus, is the Coast Guard motto right? Always Ready? I remember in her intro she wrote, "I am conditioned to accept that I have little to no control over outcomes no matter how I try to manipulate or influence changes." I liked this line of thinking, and with a quick reading it might seem to run counter to being always prepared, but it's not. One can accept that they have little control over the vicissitudes and challenges of life but be prepared and ready for them nonetheless. 

When I think about digitally preparing for the next pandemic or cultural interruption I think about the "two weeks to slow the spread" and the lockdowns and how horribly it affected the economies of not just the US but of the world. I think History will show that that was not a prudent measure that might have helped control outbreaks, marginally, but at a cost that will take decades to overcome. Having been an essential worker, and having stayed open the entire time . . . AND having not laid off nor cut hours nor pay of any of our staff, I'm quite proud of the way that our organization performed during the pandemic and would have liked to see the measure we took to remain open be the model for others. I looked at my former colleagues at other organizations and saw the businesses close up, pay being slashed, and people laid off, and realize how much that affected their lives. I'd like to see that measures we employ to be digitally prepared for the next cultural or business interruption might not be so drastic as completely shuting down. I hope that the lessons learned from this Covid experience (which I pray is in the rearview and not in the front) are that we need to not only be prepared for any situation but that we need to be flexible and adaptable. 

I'm reminded of a behavior-based safety motto that a previous organization I worked for used. Before every job, the entire crew had a job walk and a safety meeting and during that safety meeting everyone was supposed to ask, "What can go wrong on this job?" and "What is the worst thing that can happen if something does go wrong?" These two questions were supposed to aid not only in identifying dangerous areas and dangerous activities, but also set the worker's mind in a place where he wouldn't put himself into a dangerous situation. By identifying the hazard and vocalizing it and describing it and the solution to the group, subconsciously and consciously, he would be less apt to put himself into that danger or others. I think about using that motto now. "What can go wrong in the future? And what's the worst possible thing that can happen?" By asking that of our organization maybe we can be better prepared for interruptions in our future.