From Digital Transformation to Emotional Transformation

With a pinch of humour I share my Vision of today:

What is the positive side of the Corona Virus (Covid-19)?

1. Less Toilet Paper

I’m sure that after Humans started from friday 13th March to grab products from all shelves in supermarkets and STAR product being the toilet paper, a more responsible use of toilet paper will come and hopefully less consumption of all other products and services that we dilapidate daily..maybe this pandemia brings with it a real circular economy that makes us rethink on the use of money and how many resources we really need?

2. Pets become valuable assets

Police stopped me 3 times today on my bike (stopped using the car) on my way to the Bank and to give my mother her pills. On the other hand, I have walked my dogs with a mask in the woods and haven’t seen anybody. Neighbours  look at us when passing by through their windows, jealous about the walks and fresh air. Soon, my dogs will be the most valuable asset in the area… ¿Suddenly our emotions over “pets” have changed from one moment to next, totally out of our control and imagination? That is how our VUCA environment behaves…Dogs that until yesterday were a nightmare  to neighbours are now valuable..if we use this anecdote in our day to day business life, monk used to be a scrap fish, thrown over board when caught in the nets, now? ….you would first throw the skipper! so we have to see, listen, be aware of changes, signs and signals…

3. Deep Conversations

“You ok? How’s life? Yes, ok, thanks, yourself?”…..I hear now other types of conversations, conversations that show interest with emotional content…listen carefully… we are asking how you are and feel with a real interest, how are your parents, your family, your work situation….listen to your words and thoughts, I notice the change in mine: I FOCUS in the conversation, I keep the story, I feel the emotions that have been expressed. Did that happen 2 weeks ago? Not really, our conversations lasted the time of the coffee to be prepared in the vending machine…what’s changed? The Value of Time. And FOCUS. People think more of Humanity. ¿We feel that something that happen on the other side of the Globe 21 days ago has changed our lives?

4. We are Global

Today, regardless of colour, age, religion, etnia, we are the same. And this new reality is filling us with humbleness and will help inclusivism (one of the SDGs) Suddenly, we all wear masks from China to the US…we are all the same to the Corona Virus and also to the ways of avoiding contamination. It is quite incredible that tsunamis and earthquakes in other parts of the Planet where we frequently travel on holidays, has not affected us the same way only because it did not affect us directly..but now that we KNOW PEOPLE personally in Indonesia, Malasia, US, Perú, so yes, we are concerned….and ¿are we all the same? yes. And the Chaos Theory has left us knocked Out. NOK. Good. Maybe we become less arrogant, less paternalistic, and accept vulnerability as a GLOBAL emotion?

5. We are Humans with skills

Today we changed our monthly HI Empresarial (https://hiempresarial.com/meetings and had our first online meeting via Teams.  We were 16 of us all helping each other use the platform and navigate in this new to some communication tool, with generosity, with patience. I also admired that we were dressed sporty, casual, some even in pijamas, others with kids in arms, and one could hear dogs in the background. And our competences and skills were the same!! And we spoke the same language as when we were formally sat round a table in a restaurant midtown Barcelona. Yes, it was a WoW, the most enlightening vision of the Digital Transformation that has allowed us to us hybrid communication models and change to an Emotional Transformation where people, talents and skills are valued independently to their  “packaging”. This to me will be a breakthrough for many companies and their communication patterns after 13th of March.

6. Social Networks are unstoppable

If we had any doubt about Social Networks, it is now clear. I’ve just seen a video of my muse Iolanda Bustos, https://www.iolandabustos.com/ cooking “chicken with lemon” with her daughter in her kitchen and has been another one of those enlightening moments that although digital communication has been going on for the last 10 years , it has now become part of our everyday life without noticing. Communicating digitally is the future for all, not just the new generations.We will all communicate this way to reach our audience in an emotional way and find the best digital platforms for our message. What would happen though if the next pandemia was a digital Virus?

7. Solidarity

The virus has definitely brought Solidarity. Unlimited and Sustainable. A Generosity that I have never seen before. Competition is forgotten and buzz words are cooperation and collaboration. Our talents, competences and skills are complementary. We all add. From the Hotel world to the digital world, all are allowing free use of installations and/or platforms, to allow interconnection… The chef Jose Andrés has converted one of his restaurants in a social restaurant for the needed, etc..…

This pandemia will make us better people. The price will be very high, and its magnitude still uncertain, but clearly we will survive with reinforced values that will protect the Planet and Humanity.