9.11. The collective pause that created unimaginable change… connected people.

 Not too much to say today about HR. Really nothing.

Except maybe in some small way this tragedy (tragedy is likely too subtle a word) did bring us together in a more authentic way than ever.

The new millennium bred a new kind of workforce. Bred a new type of worker. Our ability to receive information instantaneously in new and incredible ways created a working strategy in which change was a constant and inevitable state of being. Change became the “new normal” as penned by many authors including a favorite of mine, Seth Godin.

 Then the skyline of Manhattan changed.  And it forced us all to stop and reflect on whether or not we had hit the tipping point of this “new normal”. 9.11 brought too much change, too quickly, on too many fronts. And as a collective the world just stopped for a bit.

 But in that pause we had the time to connect. In that pause we appreciated the very essence of connectedness. Could this unimaginable change on 9.11 have spawned a new and unimaginable person? One who is finally connected authentically to others?

As one who has flourished (somewhat) in the new change “norm”, this 9.11 I will reflect on the simple joy and beauty of a quiet and normal Sunday with people I love. I’ll celebrate my mother’s birthday. And maybe in that quiet day I will relearn how to connect with others in new and unimaginable ways.

As my pal Joe Gerstandt from Talent Anarchy says virtually everyday, “be good to each other”.

Published by

Dawn Hrdlica-Burke

VP People & Culture/ Talent Consulting at Kinetix. Advisor. Speaker. Writer.

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