When we fall back on habits, we tend to forget how adaptable humans really are.

For many years, technology has made it possible for us to reach out to others across the world without ever leaving the room, but this barely made a dent in the way we interacted with others. In person meetings were seen as more valuable and more useful for making deals. We were still moving around our world in order to bring working relationships into being through physical interaction. 

Levis Media no different despite being a tech company.

As a group, we are comfortable using online means of communicating and meeting with others. Still, we spent hours a week physically attending networking events, showing up for coffee meetings, bringing clients into the office to review, strategize and plan. Just because we had the tools available didn't mean that we were ready to drop the idea of shaking hands and sitting with someone in order to build a professional relationship.

Don't get me wrong - these methods of relationship building are still very valuable. But recent circumstances I think are doing a lot to push us to get more comfortable building working relationships without ever sitting the room with a client, coworker, employee or even business partner.

Now, we're adapting. Challenging circumstances have pushed us apart physically, and we're forced to become more comfortable with technology that brings us socially closer while keeping us physically distant.

I'm not saying it's ideal. Not even saying that it should become the standard. But I think that these trying circumstances are showing us that just because change can be difficult doesn't mean we should deny its benefits. 

It's never a great thing to be forced to change as we are now. It's stressful. It's emotionally draining. It's disruptive to those things that work best without disruption. However, we are rising to the challenge, accepting what we cannot change, and finding new ways to build connections. Is it scary? Sure. Is it uncertain? Absolutely. Is it valuable? No doubt.

How are you handling the change? Is it more or less difficult than you thought it would be to find new creative ways to build networks and build companies when faced with incredible obstacles? What does embracing change now mean for you for when we're faced with the opportunity to change the way we work and play in the future?

No doubt we all wish it hadn't gone this way, but are we rising to the challenge? You bet we are. We are adaptable, creative, determined, and still hopeful for the future. Hang in there - we're in this together.