Investing in Personal Relationships to Accelerate Pandemic Recovery

September 15, 2023

 

If you feel like the length of society’s collective fuse seems to be shortening by the day, there may be a reason. Psychiatrists studying the societal impact of the pandemic believe the high volume of anxiety, sadness and loss is injecting the day-to-day with more irritability than is typical.  

It certainly makes sense. However, even though the apparent erosion of patience is not surprising, it’s still unsettling. And, it needs to change if everyone is going to fully recover from one of the most stressful years of all time.  

What does change look like? For one, everyone needs to try harder to see the best, not the worst, in people. And, they need to give the benefit of the doubt more often. It may come down to each individual coming to terms with the fact that their way is not the only way and that compromise is the key ingredient to progress. Overall, change looks a lot like an investment in personal relationships.  

In an ideal society, one that values community over individuality, people would support each other in taking a step back – or a cleansing breath – before unloading their frustrations.  

Of course, living digital-first lifestyles isn’t helping matters. Many of the platforms that were designed to bring people together by forging connections have, in fact, done the opposite. Hitting send without thinking (or feeling) is something that’s way too easy to do in an always-on, always-connected society.

It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine the person on the other end will feel the same when they read a rant. Text-based tirades flying back and forth rarely lead to harmony. So, this year try to take deliberate steps toward investing in personal relationship, ask more questions and assume the best. Give people a chance to voice their intentions rather than a project status.  

Expect it to pay big dividends.  

That’s because Bank Iowa, like many people-centered businesses looking out at the horizon, is going through a rapid transformation to exceed new and shifting expectations. The ultimate success of the bank’s audacious plans for new products, enhanced experiences and improved give-back programs hinges on collaboration. And collaboration, as everyone knows, calls for patience, empathy and active listening. It calls for a strategic investment in personal relationships.