How to live in tough times

It’s OK to not be OK.
But it’s what you choose to do about that that’s important.

-Anne McClain. Astronaut, Army Lieutenant Colonel, Helicopter Test Pilot, former USA Rugby WNT

In coronavirus times, we are forced to stay at home, adopt social distancing, change the way we are working, and renounce many of our passions.

Coronavirus forced us to stay at home, change behaviors, and living standards. We – either individuals and organizations- have to be adaptive and find ways to tackle a difficult situation and leverage the hidden opportunities. The NASA Astronaut Anne McClain spent months closed in a Space Station bordered by the most inhospitable environment you could think of. In this Youtube Video, tracing a parallel with our at-home confinement, she now shares lessons learned and explains her tips to stay safe and well in difficult confinement times, either Earth or Space.

1. Communication

Share your information, intents and feelings. Debrief your team/family main events. Restate your message to be sure you are understood. Openly discuss things that are not going as expected.

2. Servant Leadership

Be sure to have in place the right process for sharing the vision and goal setting. Accept and clarify responsibility. Ensure impediments are removed, be a servant leader.

3. Self awarness

Keep track of how healthy you are on psychological and physical levels. Manage your mood, your time, your hygiene. Do not push your stress into the others. Practice daily physical exercises, stay healthy.

4. Build and nurture the team

Share and refer to the principles the team is founded on, encourage participation, and cooperation, develop good relationships. Accept different opinions and personalities. Be resilient

Her words are lessons in agility, team leadership, and adaptive behaviors. They directly apply to individuals, teams, and organizations.


Marcello Del Bono is coaching and leading Agile Teams, supporting Transformation programs. He has multi-year experience as a Product Owner, Scrum Master and Agile Coach in e-commerce, IT, Marketing and Decision Support Systems in Media, Telco, Finance, Fashion industries.

Contact him on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcellodelbono/