2020 is often used as a synonym for clarity. The term “2020 vision” is used to describe visual acuity. It’s also likely that you’ve heard the adage “Hindsight is 2020.”
I think that it’s kind of ironic that the year 2020 was anything but clear. I don’t know about you, but I found myself unsure of what was going on or going to happen day-to-day, week-to-week, and sometimes even month-to-month. Because of this, I found myself relying heavily on my adaptability strength.
In their book, Leadership on the Line (2017), Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky write about the two views that leaders can have. To do that, they use the metaphor of the dancefloor and the balcony. To summarize, the dance floor is where the action happens. However, between the lights, sounds, and crowds of people it can be hard to see what is happening. That is where the balcony comes in. While the balcony is removed from the action, you can get a clear view of what is happening. Heifetz and Linsky’s point is good leaders need to move between the dancefloor and the balcony to be effective.
While the year 2020 has certainly not been a dance floor (more like a dance floor that was on fire and caving in), I think the metaphor Heifetz and Linsky’s metaphor works. This past year has had a lot of action (to say the least) where many people were unable to see what is happening.
As 2020 is coming to an end, I have been able to take a balcony view by reflecting on this past year. By doing this, I have been able to make sense of some of the things that have happened this past year. I guess hindsight is 2020 after all.
Here are two of my clear takeaways from 2020:
1. 2020 WAS AN ACCELERATOR. Claudia and I never would have guessed that our first year of marriage would have been during a global pandemic. I think that this accelerated conversations and decisions that might not have come up for several more years in our relationship. Because of this, we joke that every newlywed couple should have to go into quarantine to work out some of the hard things in their relationship. In addition to this, COVID-19 also accelerated the use of virtual technology within organizations. Every church leader I talked to (regardless of what they were already doing online) had to fast track their future digital plans. I heard everything from starting online giving to hiring a full-time online pastor.
2. 2020 WASN’T ALL BAD. 2020 WASN’T ALL BAD. Have you seen “If 2020 Was A ___________” memes? These are basically images of something universally terrible, such as a dumpster fire, with a caption that reads something like, “If 2020 Was A Scented Candle.” While these memes highlight how terrible this year was (and we all know it was), I think it’s important to remember that it was not all bad. As I look at people’s Top 9’s on Instagram, I am seeing pictures of graduations, weddings, births, and more. Through these photographed memories it is obvious to me that there were many good, unforgettable moments in a year that many of us would otherwise prefer to forget.
How about you? When you look back on 2020, what is clear to you? What did 2020 accelerate for you? What was a good moment?
Nick Chellsen 