The Importance of Connection Right Now

At the beginning of the shutdown two months ago, a close friend/colleague and I started doing something wild and out of character.

 Calling each other. On the phone.

 We didn’t schedule time. There was no text warning. There wasn’t even a set topic in mind.

 I wanted to hear her voice. And she wanted to hear mine.

 We covered everything from where our businesses were headed in the pandemic, to swapping NYC quarantine safety tips, to confessions about how many times we had watched Stella jump into piles of leaves, to the raw, “I’m scared and I don’t know how to do this.”

 Then we hit on a variation of all these themes the following day.

 Intuitively, we knew we needed this level of connection to refuel, to ground ourselves in the familiar, and to spark new creativity. We built our own safety in an unsafe world.

 While we’re not talking as often now, that go-to approach in the early days has become a guiding principle for how I’m moving through this moment which is extending to an indefinite length of time.

 Here’s what I’m doing to make sure I get the connection I need:

1. Virtually circling up with different communities of colleagues at least once a week.

2. Joining online classes with other business owners so I can tie in learning with a personal interaction.

3. Scheduling zoom coffees (or wine!) with close friends, former clients, and future collaborators.

4. Being the realest of real me’s with my high school friends on a hilariously snarky group text thread.

5. Eating dinner as a family almost every night for the first time in our lives together. Sharing what we’re grateful for at this meal which ranges from mac and cheese, to our teachers, to each other.

With all of this connection, I am mindful that I also need the time to rest, to be alone, to read (slowly), and to process even a fraction of what is happening in the world right now. I do my best to fit in this quiet time, but I know for this extroverted woman, being with my people even at a distance has been the oxygen I’ve needed to continue to feel alive.

Grief In The Time Of COVID

Spring is my grieving season.

The anniversary of my parent’s car accident is May 16th, marking 34 years since they passed. That date is flanked by Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day; and in the past five years, I’ve added two more significant losses to a one-month span between April and May. Amidst the rebirth of spring blossoms, I’m often moving between the dull ache of longing for the memories I want to hold on to, and the anger for those I will never have.

And that’s just spring status quo.

Currently, grief is all around us. We’re mourning the loss of life as we knew it. Emotions are heightened and yet my usual process for moving through them has been upended. 

There’s no hugging friends or gathering with people who knew and loved my mom and dad.

There’s no feeling the energy, the empathy, and the compassion from the group of motherless mothers with whom I meet monthly at a local wine bar, with a full glass of happy-hour-white in hand.

Without my time-tested ways to move forward while my senses are absorbing a new level of noise, somehow the people I’ve loved and lost feel distant. My connection to them is dampened. My memory is cloudy.

Lucky for me, creativity struck when I asked myself, “How can I acknowledge both the new grief of life in the pandemic and find my people again?” The answer came in a place I often find my flow: writing. But this time, not with a blog post or a journal entry. Writing in the form of an old-fashioned letter.

Pen to pretty piece of stationary, I’ve been writing each of my lost loves a letter about what this time is like, what I miss most about them right now, what I need from them, and my thoughts as to why they may have been spared living in 2020.

I write through tears and occasional smiles. I’ve found each letter to be a visit. An invitation for us to stand in a new memory together, even for just a few minutes. The details of this new connection flood my mind, followed by the old memories I thought I lost.

In this new budding practice, I am learning that there will be times so fraught, complex—and even identity-shifting—that talking about my parents and others I’ve lost is not enough to be with them. In times like these, I need to set up a direct line, with focus, attention, and presence. To bring them into my world—through words—even though this moment will never truly be part of any of our lives.

When the Professional Becomes Personal

When I start working with new clients, I ask them to choose their top five values and then define what those values mean to them.

Inevitably, a third of clients ask, "Should I choose my professional values or my personal values?"

This a moment where I smile, pause and lean into curiosity. "What do you think?"

After 30 seconds or so of quiet, the insight lands on them like a cozy sweater. They smile back. "Ah, they’re the same, aren’t they?"

Yes, exactly.

This is one of the most powerful keys to unlocking a meaningful career: defining what is most important to you and then using it to build a bridge between the professional and the personal.

Right now, in the face of the pandemic I am bearing witness to widespread acceptance of this truth—rather than the typical instinct to fight it, to compartmentalize, to play the role we think others expect of us.

For me it looks like:

Joining a group of coaches, each with our own businesses in a weekly meeting to provide space for each other. Our emotions. Our fears. Our silver linings.

Opening my corporate leadership trainings with a quote about the grief we are collectively feeling right now. Naming it. Giving permission to go there. Being in it.

And for my clients it is:

Choosing vulnerable leadership. Scheduling team meetings where the agenda is, How are we doing?

Encouraging employees to take their days off, even when they know they will not be leaving their homes.

If you’re a leader, take note that we are in an identity-shifting moment where ignoring the personal will be received and called out as callous, apathetic and tone deaf. Even if it has not been your style in the past, dig deep and find a way to see and hear people fully. Be gentle and compassionate. And not just with others. Also with yourself.

How To Write Your Pandemic Elevator Pitch

As one might imagine, I’ve been supporting many unemployed and furloughed job hunters right now. Because none of us have ever navigated this process in a pandemic before—my clients have reasonable concerns and questions.

 How do I stand out in the crowd of candidates?

 How do I strike the right tone when there are people still sick and dying out there?

 How can I network when we could be living an indoor life for months?

 How would I explain a career pivot at a time when safety and security seem like a priority?

 The answers I continue to return to for all of these questions are:

 Be real. Be vulnerable. Acknowledge the identity-shifting moment we’re in. And if there’s a point where your superpowers match up to what the world needs right now, run towards it without asking for permission. This is part of your new narrative, and it will be met with different expectations that have never existed for career shifts. Your pivot can be seen as a moment that you’re stepping into flexibility, resilience and the leadership needed for our new world.

 As I’ve said many times, in several different ways, the best tool to set you up for success in your search is your elevator pitch—and it will be critical to chisel it within the context of our times.

 Here’s how to write your—Pandemic Elevator Pitch:

 Sentence 1: Who are you? What’s the headline of your career, expertise and/or industry experience?

 I’m a marketing professional with 15+ years of experience in digital strategy and execution across several top tier financial services brands.

 Sentence 2: Name your strengths, passions, a “why” and/or a career highlight.

 I’m passionate about developing content that brings the untold stories of real people to life–with detail, empathy, honesty and at least a little bit of fun.

 Sentence 3: Acknowledge the current moment and a shift you are making to adjust.

 During this time of COVID, I’ve been truly moved by the stories of healthcare professionals, their resilience, and their commitment to not only saving lives on the frontlines but also to share information and tools with the public to help with prevention. It’s prompted me to want to pivot—using my marketing and storytelling skills to continue to bring these stories to light for inspiration and hope in this moment.

 Sentence 4: What you’re looking for…the ask

 If you know of health systems or healthcare organizations who are looking for digital marketing and content support, I would love an intro. Thanks!

 Bring it together:

 I’m a marketing professional with 15+ years’ experience in digital strategy and execution across several top tier financial services brands. I’m passionate about developing content that brings the untold stories of real people to life--with detail, empathy, honesty and at least a little bit of fun. During this time of COVID, I’ve been truly moved by the stories of healthcare professionals, their resilience, and their commitment to not only saving lives on the frontlines but also to sharing information and tools with the public to help with prevention. It’s prompted me to pivot—using my marketing and storytelling skills to help organizations continue to bring these stories to light for inspiration and hope in this moment. If you know of health systems or healthcare organizations who are looking for digital marketing and content support, I would love an intro.

Now that you have your pitch, please do this important next step: Use it. Of course this looks different than it did pre-pandemic. I’ve been known to say in the past, network where you are—a coffee shop, birthday party, school drop off or the dog park. In our current times it’s more like—your couch, your bed, your dining room table and for those lucky few—the home office. You must make more of an effort to be visible and that means getting uncomfortable. Attend virtual events, set up zoom meetings and informational interviews, reach out to your contacts with a note to let them know what types of roles you’re seeking. Remember, people want to help. It makes them feel good—especially right now, when we are feeling helpless about so much in our changing world.

If you’re looking for a little extra support in honing your Elevator Pitch, please consider the Nail Your Elevator Pitch Mini Course!

The Mini Course includes…

Five short videos that walk you through:

• A welcome and setting you up for success

• Identifying your strengths

• The strategy and approach to writing your pitch

• The formula for three different types of pitches based on your situation

• Getting into action with your pitch

Plus, a workbook where you can write the first drafts of your pitch.

All for $60!

Add a 45-minute 1:1 session to workshop your pitch with Rachel for $125.

Let’s get you out there networking with a pitch that will give you the momentum you need to make that next big career move. Take the next step here: https://www.rachelbgarrett.com/pitch