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Being professional in the middle of a personal crisis

 


COVID19 has put people all over the world is the devastating position of survival mode.  Work environments have changed.  People have lost loved ones.  People have lost their jobs.   The whole world is feeling the effects of the pandemic in ways they have never experienced.

I can tell you that having a devastating life changing situation is not new experience for some of us.   We have all had challenges in our lives that has caused us to have to adapt to things quickly. 

How many of us have been in the position of presenting a 'professional face' while dealing with a 'personal crisis'?   I can tell you that when I was running on my law firm several years, I had a few hiccups that forced me to balance a few things:

1) WALKING

As crazy as it seemed, I had two cars and BOTH broke down.   Like a lot of people who procrastinate, I had one car that broke down but since I had another car that worked, I didn't stress, until the second one day!  I was VERY lucky that I didn't have any hearings that week because BOTH of the cars had to be in the shop for a couple of days. I was, also, lucky that I had a virtual practice so I was working from my home office.   So, no one knew about the cars breaking down but for about a week, I was walking everywhere.

2) GROCERIES

There is NOTHING more humbling than taking a jar of change, pouring it into a ziploc bag, and going to the change machine in the grocery store in order to get groceries.   There was a period of time where my fees were being held up and so there was about 6 week stint where I was expecting a LOT of fees but they hadn't been released.   I did what I had to do to survive but it's amazing how quickly you swallow your pride when you are trying to eat.

3) HELP FROM FRIENDS and FAMILIES

Everyone who knows me knows that I HATE asking for help.  I had a couple of periods where my attorney fees were slow and, guess what?  Bills were due!   I always felt uncomfortable asking for help so I would do EVERYTHING possible to delay asking as LONG as possible just in case my fees would drop so I wouldn't have to ask.  I still remember one of my friends asking me to STOP asking for help so late in the game so they can help me sooner than later.

4) FANS

God bless Air Conditioning in cars.  I lived in an old house at the time of my practice and as fate would have it, the A/C unit started blowing hot air.   For those of you who don't know, I practiced law in Central Florida and you don't KNOW what hot is unless you have lived in a house with NO A/C during the Summer.  I took quite a few showers and had a BOAT load of fans until we could get the A/C fixed.  Again, I was working (and sweating) from home but no one knew.

5) IT'S ALL ABOUT BEING PROFESSIONAL

The biggest thing I learned was that it was important that 1) all client's services are not impacted and 2) ensure clients still have a great and positive experience.  When your client is using your services, they are not interested in what your personal trials and tribulations.   But it's important to remember, when professionals are ensuring you are having a positive experience, just remember they are always dealing with impact of a personal crisis.

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