Published by John Geraghty
As I was driving my family to Ocean City on a recent trip the dreaded “are we there yet?” was asked by my 7-year-old son. I encouraged him to just sit back, enjoy the ride and the time we get to spend together as a family (not that we need any more time together during COVID). I reasoned that he should enjoy the moment, live in the present and, at the end of the day, we will never truly be “there,” that there is always something that is next. He looked at me and said “ok,” clearly not understanding what I was talking about but bored with the conversation and my existential rant.
This innocent exchange stuck with me and made me think further about how that simple question has so much meaning to the existence and viability of our businesses. We all struggle with our own COVID business challenges. The “are we there yet?” question always seems to pop up in one way or another:
Do we have enough resources for our employees?
Do we have enough money to cover our obligations?
Do we have enough work in our pipeline?
The list goes on.
This journey of running a successful and meaningful business is no small task. And, it’s not a destination. We won’t just get there one day. Rather, it’s an evolution, hopefully toward greatness, and a continual search for improvement and growth as individuals, team members, employees, and trusted business partners. This has given me newfound motivation to keep fighting and pushing for more.
Another challenge to open my eyes is remote work. As strange as it sounds, being apart from my team has made me realize how much more important our relationships – with everyone – truly are. Rather than focusing my energy and efforts on when we can get back to the office, when things will return to normal, or when we can we all go to happy hour, I was missing the fact that I still had 10 amazing individuals with whom I get to work with daily. The simple and limited interactions we have have made me miss them even more. What used to be mundane office tasks now seem like the greatest thing ever. The journey of being with others who share a common goal and passion for our business is what excites me. Sure, getting deals done is why we work, but the process and day to day interactions — water cooler talk about the Orioles, strategizing about a difficult situation, even eating lunch around a table – are what matter, make us a team and give us purpose. It is true that you can learn something new every day and by living in the moment, and fully appreciating this fact makes me a better person, colleague, business partner, and leader.
Lastly, I’ve learned that technology and accessibility is more important than ever. These new advancements of tracking our activities give us a sense of being together again and we know what everyone is doing. Zoom and MS Teams are a great way for us to stay in touch with each other. In January I remember questioning why video calls were better than regular phone calls. Now, I get it. Seeing others – facial expressions and body language – provides invaluable insight into how others are receiving our message. All of these things make me appreciate being in the moment and feeling like we are together. I used to say I couldn’t wait until this pandemic was over, dreading another Zoom call. Now, while I still do want to see people in person, hopping on a Zoom or Teams meeting still lets us feel connected. Now I try to enjoy and get the most out of these daily interactions.
We all have our moments of frustration and keeping things in perspective is not something you can do all the time. Personally, I need to slow down, stop focusing on what’s next, and live in the moment to the best of my ability. The only true answer to “are we there yet?” is that we never will be there. Rather we are here and should consider ourselves lucky to be here and to live each moment.
About John Geraghty
As a Founding Partner of Chesapeake Search Partners, John Geraghty has spent over 12 years in the Recruiting industry in Baltimore. After 5 + years of Accounting & Finance search, John, Rick Fribush, and Johnny Black started Chesapeake Search Partners to deliver a better experience for our clients and candidates as well and provide a positive team-oriented atmosphere for their Recruiting team. John now leads Recruiting Operations for CSP and helps support all 4 practices but primarily Accounting & Finance Direct Hire, Retained, and Contract roles. Feel free to contact the Accounting & Finance Practice team or any of CSP’s Search Consultants at info@chesapeakesearchpartners.com.