Skilled Adaptation During COVID-19

I had a unique opportunity to watch some of the local restaurants adapt from the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was absolutely amazing to watch.

Like many of us when things first began to change, you could tell they didn’t know what to do. It was like feeling your way around a dark room at night, trying to reach that crucial destination without running into a wall or breaking something you’re going to need in the morning. Been there, right?

While facing this total uncertainty, they continued moving forward, making day-to-day changes as necessary. They found ways to adapt from a sit-in business to a totally take-out establishment. That meant making major shifts they were not originally prepared to make.

Little by little, I watched as they came up with systems and strategies to make things work better. They created make-shift drive-through lanes using cones to facilitate a smooth route for customers. They added numbers to parking spaces to help them deliver their orders to the right customers. Those with enough staff assigned employees to meet customers outside, so customers and delivery services didn’t have to get out of their cars. It was a great example of adaptation.

What I found most impressive throughout the entire process is that they continued moving forward, even though they obviously didn’t always know how or where to go.

Watching them was a great lesson for all of us. Like it or not, young or old, wherever we may be in life, adaptation is going to be a major skill we’ll all have to master challenges in life.

Coach DianaD