2020: the year that itself took a Sabbatical

[BLOG] 2020: the year that itself took a Sabbatical

Summer 2020. The first semester of the new decade is over. And what a semester! 'The Virus' grabbed us by the throat at the beginning of this year, both literally and figuratively, and hasn't let go since then. We pant collectively. Healthcare workers and everyone involved in the 'critical infrastructure' have been working overtime, while the rest of society has been holding their breath since the intelligent lockdown.

Now that the dust from the (first?) corona wave has started to settle after the measures have been relaxed (but for how long?), the damage can be recorded. Germany -10.1% in the second quarter, France -13.8%, Italy -12.5%, Spain -18.5%, the UK -20.4%, USA -9.5%. China, where the corona peak had been reached in the first quarter, rebounded slightly by +3.2%, but there, of course, the contraction in the first quarter amounted to 6.8%. Although in my own country, compared to our European neighbours, the 8.5% downturn was modest in relative terms, also this was an all-time record. 

Locked down apart together

In recent years the merits of advancing globalisation have been questioned here and there, but corona has put us face to face with the facts. Never before has the world been so linked in destiny by the virus, never so separated from each other by the lockdown. In recent times, the necessary connection of mankind did not take place via Schiphol and Schengen, but almost entirely virtually via the digital highways of Zoom, Teams, Facetime, Webex and other video apps.

Unity in diversity' was also the theme of the EU summit where, after 4 long days of negotiations, agreement was reached on the multi-annual budget and the economic recovery programme for Europe. Where in sport there is always only one winner at the end, different rules apply in European politics. Free to Gary Lineker: "Politics is a game of 27 member states and at the end everyone wins". With 'Brexit', number 28 cast a shadow over the new relations in Europe, with our country in an unpopular role. Anyway, it turned out that a penetrating conversation with each other still has more effect than populism about each other. 

The Great Catch-up...

Be that as it may, the corona crisis has made a big hole in our calendar. It's as if the second quarter didn't happen. Survival was the motto. July was the new April, October will be the new July and we are getting ready for The Great Catch-up. Taking a deep breath is certainly advisable, because the next year and a half will be a long shot. This time, the year 2021 starts already in September (at least if Corona does not make a second attack on our airways after the summer). And if that succeeds the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel awaits in 2022. 

... after the forced step aside

But, apart from the sad consequences for public health and our economic well-being in the short term, for the longer term the lockdown possibly also has its positive sides. It's as if we've been forced to take a collective sabbatical in recent months. A 'sabbatical', as Wikipedia teaches us, "is a period (at least several months) during which people take time off (or are given paid time off) and interrupt their normal professional activities.

A sabbatical may take shape as an extended holiday saved up to realize a long cherished dream, but of course the lockdown period was not suitable for that trip around the world or that charity we wanted to dedicate ourselves to. As with writers, musicians and sports coaches, the sabbatical is also a popular phenomenon to take a break and gain new insights and inspiration for the future during that phase. Although a sabbatical is not attainable for everyone, the past few months have given us a unique opportunity to take that step aside and look at things in a different way.

Five insights about the power of associations

In terms of the practice of trade organisations professional soeities and and cooperative organisations, the lockdown for example has provided us with five insights:

1. That the association has proven to be an indispensable link in bridging crisis situations. In a time where members were thrown back on their own, the collective of the association proved its added value as a common voice, as a source of knowledge and information and as a mutual help line between industry peers.
2. That the effectiveness of non-profit organizations is less location-specific than was previously assumed. Directors and committee members have quickly adapted and learned to deal with opportunities offered by modern technology.
3. That this will not only have a lasting effect on the number of travel and accommodation hours, but also on the agility of organisations. An appointment for a quick alignment via video is simply faster. Sometimes a free slot in the agenda is found the same day. With all its consequences for the backoffice organisation, where such connections need to be facilitated, prepared and settled.
4. That the 'hybrid association' will be a permanent phenomenon. For member organisations, meetings during and around the physical meetings will remain the binder of formal and informal relationships and mutual trust. But beneath the top of this iceberg, an extensive system of online connections and facilities will develop, along which associations will broaden and deepen their reach within and between member organisations.
5. That industry associations will play an essential role in the Green Recovery that the European Commission is now aiming for, and that the crisis need must become a sustainable virtue on the way to the desired transition to the Circular Economy.

The corona crisis has affected us all and has a lasting impact. We are in it together, and associations are a vital link to get through it together, provided we keep that link alive ourselves. "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together", an African saying goes. These are going to be challenging times. Let's make good use of this sabbatical! 

Have a fresh new start after summer!

Jules Lejeune
Managing Director