When my son was born, I learned the secret of parenting, which is that no one knows what they’re doing. We’re all making it up as we go and trying to do the best we can.

When this pandemic set in, I learned another secret. The whole “With age comes wisdom…” thing? I always figured that meant I’d get smarter as I got older, which I didn’t really feel was happening. I was wrong. It’s not about being smarter. It’s about having a wider lens through which to view any situation. “Been there, done that” applies to more and more experiences. 

I am blessed to work with colleagues who also have that wider lens. We have worked through 9/11, the ‘08 financial crisis, SARS, and that’s just in this century.  

For this week’s blog, my colleague, Debbie Matson, and I share our stories and lessons learned from being in NY on 9/11 (me) and Hong Kong during SARS (Debbie).

My Story

On September 11, 2001, I was barely 4 months into my role as Director of Career Management for the graduate programs at Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business. It was my first leadership role, and I was managing a team of 5-10 people. I realized quite suddenly I was being looked to for guidance, and I was out of my depth.That said, I didn’t have a choice. I had to lead my team, and my team had to help a lot of MBA students figure out how to navigate a very uncertain job market.

One big disclaimer: I didn’t lose a loved one in the 9/11 attacks. I was in NYC that day, but I wasn’t downtown. I was devastated and scared, but my personal experience pales in comparison to others. 

Here are my lessons learned:

Are you leading a team? If so, ensure everyone knows you’re in this together. 

• Be completely transparent about what you know and don’t know.
• Show compassion. We are complex beings with complex emotions. Give people the space to respond to an unimaginable crisis in whatever way they need to.
• Determine what work does and doesn’t need to be done, and manage resources and expectations accordingly. 
• That compassion you’re showing for others? Apply it to yourself, too. Self care is critical.

Are you looking for a job? If so, focus on the job search skills that last a lifetime.

• Network. Connect with others to see how they’re doing and, where appropriate, what’s happening in their companies and industries. 
• Build skills that will make you a better candidate. Need to get better at developing statistical models? Practice. Find a class or tutorial. Check out General Assembly or Coursera.
• Get to near-perfection-level at communicating what you bring to the table. How have you contributed in the past, and how are you able to contribute now and in the future?
• Unemployed? While you’re job searching, make productive use of your time. Options include learning a new skill, writing articles or reports that show learning or expertise, volunteering (even from home!), or taking up a hobby in a meaningful way. 

Debbie’s Story

My career has been a journey landing me in unexpected places. In 2003, I was living in Hong Kong and studying advanced accounting with a goal of taking the CPA exam and ultimately working as a CFO. Once SARS hit Hong Kong, life became more complicated and I became deeply involved in caring for our 3 young children whose school had closed, and worrying about finding vinegar in the stores - vinegar was supposed to solve all of our problems.

That September I was asked to increase my involvement as a volunteer in my children’s school.  Many people had moved, the major fundraising dinner had been lost to the virus and we needed to raise the money that was counted on every year. I took on the responsibility, built a team and relied on the good advice of some “old hands” in the parent community. I ran the dinner for two years and raised a record amount each year. At that point, it was time to get back into the paid workforce. I approached someone I had worked with on the fundraiser, thinking he might hire me into his hedge fund. He surprised me and suggested I become CEO of his recruitment firm, Links International, a job I started three weeks later.   

Why did he offer me the job? I had never done recruitment and my biggest team had been volunteers working on the Annual Dinner. He hired me because I exhibited competencies while working as a volunteer that he needed in his firm, competencies like leadership and influence, being open to learning from others, the agility to succeed in new situations, personal responsibility, and of course - a sense of humor. Serving as a volunteer was the platform for demonstrating my skills, and it got me hired.

Ultimately I was with that company for 7 years, and it was the best work experience I have ever had. We grew the company across greater China, expanded the team, developed a strong culture and developed as recruiters and trusted advisors to multinational corporations. I never took the CPA exam, and I didn’t become a CFO. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to study accounting, and it has helped me in every job I have had since. But my role as Managing Director at Links turned out to be the experience of a lifetime. I’m glad that I took advantage of opportunities that presented themselves during a crisis time to develop as a person and a professional. 

Final Thoughts

So, how can you use this time to develop as a person and professional? How can you rise to the occasion? The list of things we can’t control (called “gravity problems” by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans in Designing Your Life) is long. What’s a short list of things you can control? Start by making a list of 5, and commit to one. 

Spoiler Alert: CCWP’s list of things we can control is published on our Facebook and Twitter pages!

Also, please know we’re here to help. Scheduling an appointment is easy!