7 Ways COVID Culture is Better Than You Think
Everyone “knows” that proximity sparks innovation. Open floor plans, conference rooms, and Silicon Valley itself were staples of the pre-pandemic work era. But it’s time to accept it; work culture will never be the same. The post-COVID distributed work era is better than you think in seven ways.
Revenge of the Introverts. It’s easier to engage introverts during COVID. Susan Cain, the author of the best-selling book Quiet, popularized the importance of introverts like Steve Wozniak, Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, and Gandhi. Cain observes that humans naturally gravitate toward whoever is the loudest or most charismatic. But also, she reminds us that “there’s zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas. Zero.”
The proximity of pre-COVID culture amplified the voice of the extrovert. Distance is like an air filter for extrovert bluster.
Here are some COVID culture hacks. In meetings, Slack introverts while introverts dominate the Zoom waves. It’s a great way to draw them out. Write more Mock Press Releases. Take advantage of the time and space to write more and take better notes.
Remote work is good for diversity. Pre-pandemic, I took an annual trip through Asia. I’d have about 25 meetings and rack up 60,000 frequent flyer miles. Last year, I had more meetings with more colleagues and customers in Asia. In other words, COVID helped me gain a more culturally diverse point of view. Bonus: my annual trip used to cost about $30,000. Last year, it cost approximately $0.
I do miss the Kimchi in Korea, Chili Crab in Singapore, and the pubs of London. I’ll be back!
Ideas are easier to curate. Go ahead, have the meeting without me, record it, and share it. My busy-ness won’t impede your progress. When I catch up, I can skip the boring parts and replay the good stuff in slow motion.
Here’s a COVID culture hack to better curate ideas. Subscribe to the otter.ai transcription service. Turn on otter, hit play on a recording of a meeting you missed, and go for a run. When you return, scan the transcript for the juicy parts. It’s like an automated table of contents creator. Most 1-hour meetings take just a few minutes to get the gist. But some sessions are gold mines: I replayed one 7 or 8 times and wrote a 14-post blog series about Panera Bread over another one.
We learn more about each other. In June, I mounted my “10 albums I’d take to a desert island” on my office wall. I mounted a duck decoy carved by my dad. During tedious Zoom calls, these things provide a glimpse of my personality.
I like to learn about you, too. In 2020, I’ve met pets that jump in your lap, spotted your favorite books, and met family members. That’s cool.
Here’s another COVID culture hack. If you’re still using a stock Zoom virtual background, watch this hilarious video by David Meerman Scott about Why Zoom Virtual Backgrounds Are Terrible For Your Brand. You won’t look at Zoom backgrounds the same.
High fidelity sharing. I can see every pixel of your user interface and every row in your spreadsheet on the big screen in my office.
The learning revolution. COVID sparked a learning revolution. Podcasts provide an infinitely deep and wide stream of innovative ideas. Distance learning innovators like Seth Godin, David Perell, and Tiago Forte are rethinking how we learn online. I learned the basics of quantum physics in three minutes, thanks to 17-year-old Maryam Tsegaye’s award-winning video.
COVID culture hack: I’ve listened to 186 podcasts during COVID. I know this because I listen to them on my bike rides, which Strava counts. My friend David Rosen listens on his hikes. I’ve taken great online courses for as little as $19. Whatever you love, there’s a class for that.
Life is more balanced. I love being home for dinner and 1,000 other things I used to miss while I racked up 300,000 miles a year on the road. Maybe my family would prefer I spend a little more time on the road. But it’s been great to see my daughter every day; I’ll miss her next year when she leaves for college.
There’s no replacing face-to-face interaction. I miss looking work colleagues in the eye. But COVID has brought new opportunities to improve culture in unexpected ways.
