Blog Post
Covid-19's gift of uncertainty
Chelsea Roffey • May 08, 2020
Return to play presents a turning point, and a choice.
As Big Kev used to say: “I’m excited!”
Is it the uninterrupted Netflix marathons? The midday strolls in the park? The welcome relief of not figuring out what to wear everyday? (Trackie-daks, of course.)
Obviously, these things are pretty cool. But what I’m really excited for is the possibility of a new collective worldview, favouring opportunities over barriers.
Tighten that drawstring waistband, folks. We’re going deep.
Covid-19 has already taught us about our capacity for solidarity in numbers. But it is also teaching us that we are more adaptable than we think.
The world is re-orientating itself through invention and resourcefulness. We’ve been handed the unexpected luxury to stop. Pause. And re-imagine the state of play.
Think about that for a moment.
“Returning to play” presents a turning point, and a choice. What will the post-Covid worldview look like?
For many, change will be necessary. Will adaptation meet resistance, digging in the heels to reinstate familiarity and so-called “safety”?
Will fear limit our focus? Or will we use our experience as a catalyst for transformation, to build the world we’d like to see?
I, for one, am excited by the prospect of greater diversity and flexibility in our thinking. Why survive when you can thrive?
Worldview as a basic concept – how we think and interpret the world around us – is foundational to my view of diversity. Worldview goes to our hearts, beneath the surface rhetoric that gets in the way of being our best.
There’s no escaping the fact that experience is a reflection (and projection!) of the external identities and labels we apply to people, including oursleves. On a purely surface level, we are diverse. But, like a fresh MCG jam donut, it’s what’s inside that counts.
As we all face the prospect of embracing new approaches to life-as-we-know-it, worldview is incredibly relevant right now.
And by extension, so is diversity.
Understanding the underlying psyches and motivations of people - seeing them as multidimensional - is central to productive change. Insights lie beneath the surface, in grasping the value of an alternative worldview.
Once we understand - and truly value this - we gain a shared sense of responsibility for making things work in a post-Covid world.
Worries about the future of fledgling female competitions, or facilities that cater to people of all abilities, are absorbed into the imaginative approaches to playing the long game.
A commitment to progress brings diversity into the solution, rather than cutting it out in favour of core business. It acknowledges the financial and reputational roles of inclusion, and the reality that it's more costly to ignore it.
Covid-19 has given us the gift of growing comfortable with uncertainty. Of recognising that we can't always have the answers ... sometimes we simply have to ask the right questions. How will the season-shifting impacts lead sports to collaborate and modify? Will society learn to prioritise wellbeing and adopt economic models that value more than money?
The challenges of a new worldview have been temporarily thrust upon us. In facing the uncertainty, we've come to realise that perhaps embracing alternative perspectives is less daunting than we think.
Diversity has been about barriers for far too long.
So here's to breaking barriers. In trackie-daks.
__________________________________________________________________________
The Covid rescue package: Attracting and Retaining Greater Diversity has been designed to introduce elements underpinning successful diversity and inclusion strategies.
Created with community clubs and organisations in mind, it emphasises simple and practical ways to think about diversity and inclusion.
It serves as a bridge to reframing the barriers into opportunities, as clubs work to:
Delivered in six modules, it comprises videos, questions, data and downloadable audits focusing on diversity, inclusion and positive club cultures.
Narratives and insights are drawn from personal experience and evidence based research examining best practice, including a Winston Churchill Trust fellowship exploring diversity as an extension of worldview, through “strategies for influencing social change that enables and encourages girls to be the authors of their own lives”.
Ultimately, it’s been designed to inspire teams to action.
If this resonates with you, I invite you to head to firstinfield.com.au where you can preview the content and sign up.
Is it the uninterrupted Netflix marathons? The midday strolls in the park? The welcome relief of not figuring out what to wear everyday? (Trackie-daks, of course.)
Obviously, these things are pretty cool. But what I’m really excited for is the possibility of a new collective worldview, favouring opportunities over barriers.
Tighten that drawstring waistband, folks. We’re going deep.
Covid-19 has already taught us about our capacity for solidarity in numbers. But it is also teaching us that we are more adaptable than we think.
The world is re-orientating itself through invention and resourcefulness. We’ve been handed the unexpected luxury to stop. Pause. And re-imagine the state of play.
Think about that for a moment.
“Returning to play” presents a turning point, and a choice. What will the post-Covid worldview look like?
For many, change will be necessary. Will adaptation meet resistance, digging in the heels to reinstate familiarity and so-called “safety”?
Will fear limit our focus? Or will we use our experience as a catalyst for transformation, to build the world we’d like to see?
I, for one, am excited by the prospect of greater diversity and flexibility in our thinking. Why survive when you can thrive?
Worldview as a basic concept – how we think and interpret the world around us – is foundational to my view of diversity. Worldview goes to our hearts, beneath the surface rhetoric that gets in the way of being our best.
There’s no escaping the fact that experience is a reflection (and projection!) of the external identities and labels we apply to people, including oursleves. On a purely surface level, we are diverse. But, like a fresh MCG jam donut, it’s what’s inside that counts.
As we all face the prospect of embracing new approaches to life-as-we-know-it, worldview is incredibly relevant right now.
And by extension, so is diversity.
Understanding the underlying psyches and motivations of people - seeing them as multidimensional - is central to productive change. Insights lie beneath the surface, in grasping the value of an alternative worldview.
Once we understand - and truly value this - we gain a shared sense of responsibility for making things work in a post-Covid world.
Worries about the future of fledgling female competitions, or facilities that cater to people of all abilities, are absorbed into the imaginative approaches to playing the long game.
A commitment to progress brings diversity into the solution, rather than cutting it out in favour of core business. It acknowledges the financial and reputational roles of inclusion, and the reality that it's more costly to ignore it.
Covid-19 has given us the gift of growing comfortable with uncertainty. Of recognising that we can't always have the answers ... sometimes we simply have to ask the right questions. How will the season-shifting impacts lead sports to collaborate and modify? Will society learn to prioritise wellbeing and adopt economic models that value more than money?
The challenges of a new worldview have been temporarily thrust upon us. In facing the uncertainty, we've come to realise that perhaps embracing alternative perspectives is less daunting than we think.
Diversity has been about barriers for far too long.
So here's to breaking barriers. In trackie-daks.
__________________________________________________________________________
The Covid rescue package: Attracting and Retaining Greater Diversity has been designed to introduce elements underpinning successful diversity and inclusion strategies.
Created with community clubs and organisations in mind, it emphasises simple and practical ways to think about diversity and inclusion.
It serves as a bridge to reframing the barriers into opportunities, as clubs work to:
· Re-engage membership
· Attract and retain greater diversity
· Commit to inclusive environments
· Establish future vision and practices
· Strategically apply for grants and funding
· Decrease turnaround time for return to play
· Attract and retain greater diversity
· Commit to inclusive environments
· Establish future vision and practices
· Strategically apply for grants and funding
· Decrease turnaround time for return to play
Delivered in six modules, it comprises videos, questions, data and downloadable audits focusing on diversity, inclusion and positive club cultures.
Narratives and insights are drawn from personal experience and evidence based research examining best practice, including a Winston Churchill Trust fellowship exploring diversity as an extension of worldview, through “strategies for influencing social change that enables and encourages girls to be the authors of their own lives”.
Ultimately, it’s been designed to inspire teams to action.
If this resonates with you, I invite you to head to firstinfield.com.au where you can preview the content and sign up.