Page 24 - AASBO EDGE Summer 2023 WEB

SPRING CONFERENCE KEYNOTE

BY DON HARRIS
How to Cope with Lingering Stress from the Pandemic

Nicole Lance

If you’re overcome with overwhelm, Nicole Lance has some dropping a pen or some other small object. Lance told
strategies to help you cope and improve. AASBO members to say three times, “I can’t drop this.” And
then she told them to drop it, which they did, demonstrating
Lance, CEO of Lance Strategies and Managing Partner of that you can do certain tasks even after you repeatedly say
Extraordinary Balance, began her keynote address at the you can’t.
AASBO Spring Conference by saying there was a lot of
knowledge and responsibility in the audience. And her role Lance said her least favorite four-letter word is “just.” “People
was to prepare AASBO members for any situation. say, I’m just a, or we’re just, or that’s just how he or she’s
just,” Lance said. “That word minimizes things that work
She noted that life looks a little different since the Covid and how we approach work. We’re just too small, we’re just
pandemic started, but it hasn’t all been bad. She mentioned under resourced. That’s just how things are around here. It’s
advantages and problems with home offices and virtual just an excuse for not trying to do things any better. It allows
meeting burnout. She called it Zoom fatigue. us to continue to have bad behavior.”

“Frustration level is high for various reasons,” Lance said. A better word, she said is “adjust” – consider what might be
“For instance, when a Zoom meeting is about to end, someone better.
asks another question. And why do we feel compelled to
wave at the end of a Zoom meeting? What is really going Another strategy is to get real with yourself. “How many of
on? Audio has been proposed as the main reason that video you are comfortable right now?” Lance asked. “We acclimate
meetings are draining. It turns out that millisecond delays in to what we have – this is as god as it gets. Be aware of where
virtual verbal responses negatively affect our interpersonal we settle instead of pushing a little bit to try something a little
perceptions, even without any internet or technical issues.” different. Radical presence is when we’re totally focused.
Did you ever drive to work and don’t remember getting
“You are your own most there? Let’s talk about how we are showing up to webinars,
budget meetings. Show up late? Are we more reactive than
important resource.” responsive?”

Lance mentioned what she called a highly scientific self-
She added: “My two new favorite f-words are fluid and awareness instrument, and then asked her AASBO audience:
flexible. Consider the time between what was and what’s “On a scale of ‘meh’ to ‘marvelous!’… where are you today?
next. It’s important because it’s taxing our brain.” What gets in the way? Maybe your but is too big. I’d like to
do this, but … We but ourselves out of really being able to
During the pandemic, stress was caused when people connect.”
changed jobs or integrated new team members. But Lance
cautioned: “Overwhelm is going to continue.” In another audience participation exercise, Lance instructed
each AASBO member to choose someone they don’t know
She suggested several strategies to deal with stress. “Change well and in 90 seconds discuss these topics: What was the
your approach to how we do things,” Lance said. “Go back last thing you searched for on a music streaming service?
to – this is how we do it. I want to disrupt that – you want to What is the best meal you can make and how did you learn
approach work just a little differently.” to make it? The worst job you ever had? What was your first
car? And the best vacation you’ve ever taken?
She then led the audience on a simple exercise that involved

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24 THE EDGE SUMMER 2023