How are you moving into 2021?

Its that time of the year that we take stock in the year.  Normally, we’d reflect on accomplishments, thank others for collaboration, and turn hopefully to the year to come.  This year of course was different.  Unpredictable, difficult, frustrating, sad, disappointing are the words we’ve heard more often than at any other time in our lives.  Even Pantone, the color company that names a “color of the year” for us to contemplate, named not one, but two colors of the year: Ultimate Gray and Illuminate (a cheery butter yellow).  In their announcement, Pantone declared: “two independent colors that come together to create an aspirational color pairing, conjoining deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with optimistic promise of sunshine filled days.”  It’s difficult to make sense of it all and to know how to move into 2021 with still so much uncertainty. 

I don’t make new year’s resolutions; I find they don’t really drive behavior change.  What I have done over the years, however, is identify a word to guide my year.  Three years ago my word was BOLD, and I re-launched my consulting business.  This year my word was POSSIBILITIES.  Little did I know what a stretch word it would become!  We often think of possibilities in America as big, opportunistic, and financially productive.  Yet, in 2020, possibilities became creativity, alternatives, and making it work.  Little did we know in January that we would find fundamentally new ways to learn, collaborate, and indeed make money.  And as the year closes, we’ve experienced two economies:  the stock market is at an all-time high, while 29% of American firms have eliminated staff this year, over 2 million women lost their jobs in 2020, and 8% expect to defer raises or freeze hiring moving into 2021. 

So, what frame of mind do we move into 2021? We all look to say good-bye to 2020.  Yet, even with vaccinations starting in December, its clear that mask-wearing will be needed well into 2021, travel will continue to be restricted, and distance learning will continue.  Therefore, my word for 2021 is NUANCE.  Webster describes nuance as a subtle difference in expression, meaning or response, a slight difference.  That’s what 2021 will be, I believe.  Better, but not like pre-COVID times. 

What word will guide you as you move into 2021? 2021 isn’t a year for big changes, I believe, but you can leverage what you learned from what was likely the most difficult year of your life.  Identify the adjustments, modifications, or alternations you could employ to thrive through these difficult times .  Will you expand your network with more targeted contacts? Apply a skill you learned previously but haven’t found ways to use yet? Meet new leaders outside your immediate department? Find a way to engage more fully in your children’s learning?  2021 is not a year for wholesale change.  Its most likely to be a year of nuance.