2021 – a promise or a threat

It feels like madness to start playing with what 2021 may or may not bring us, but then if one does not play, one does not think.

So, if we accept the idea that the future is already here, but it is unevenly distributed then perhaps we can see the early beginning of year which will be more a promise than a threat, yet have elements of both.

There are reasonably sound data suggesting that in most EU countries and North America wave 2 will be peaking between now (end of December) and February. Asia seems further ahead, while it is a bit harder to form an understanding of the situation in South America and Africa, at least with the data we have seen. 

History tells us that 3rd waves are not unheard of, but they are typically smaller than 2nd wave, and the good news is that vaccination programs are already being rolled out in a number of countries.

Alas, it seems fair to hope that by the end of 1st quarter or beginning of 2nd quarter we will be witnessing a post-Covid-19 spring. There will be false starts, and unpleasant surprises, local outbreaks and local lockdowns. Just as the spring sometimes is interrupted by a few cold days and nights, nipping some of the early buds, but not stopping the arrival of growth and summer, merely delaying it a bit.

This is probably as far as we can extend the seasonal metaphor, because while we in a real spring have reasonably good ideas about which plants come to life, and which species return form hibernation or from warmer areas, then it is hard to predict who or what exactly will grow and flourish in the business landscape of 2021.

Will we see in-person meetings come back? Or, is the question: How will they come back, and how often? What about travelling? Is the question if, how, who or when?

Will businesses be re-covering, re-forming, re-thinking, re-structuring, re-volutionizing or perhaps re-gretting what they do?

Hard to say, for now we suggest re-connecting people and re-wiring brains and business to find a sustainable path forward. We will be posting more about re-connecting and re-wiring in January. Stay tuned-in, and #staysafe