fast track / TYLER BURNT
with the new
a happy New Year, happy yearAnd I wish you a good yearAnd a happy New YearAnd a happy New Year And a happy New Year! This branch of the Monocle family welcomed 2022 in a low-key, well-lit, and tastefully designed layout above the rest of Europe in cozy St Moritz. On hand were friends from London, Essen, Zurich and Lugano, and while there has been a lot of thought in the past year (topics have generally focused on poorly understood government coronavirus measures, children behaving poorly and the state of the highly challenging workplace). A dose of looking forward and getting ahead of the world, despite another wave of major event cancellations including furniture and design fairs in Paris, Cologne and Stockholm. The last guests put on their coats shortly after 02.30 and despite the strange rocket flying around the lake, I think I fainted at about 02.39 and woke up to the most beautiful sunny day. While other family members were handling the Christmas tree, packing away ornaments and preparing to head back to the Lowlands, I was able to steal a couple of hours to reflect on 2022 and jot down some wishes for the months ahead.
1. Quick start
The first week of a new year is always a bit choppy with many taking an extra week off, some schools returning only near the middle of the month and most of the Southern Hemisphere in the middle of summer vacation. I was going to ease things up nicely but I decided to get to work and would report to work first thing on Monday morning. There is so much that I want to move forward that I feel I will be more efficient in and in the midst of the office rather than working remotely. By the time you read this, March 2022 orders will be sent to key personnel, the diary will be filled out until the end of Q1 and I’ll already be done through the mountains in a neatly fitted food cart.
2. Things you can’t do at home
Many will likely read this in a country that has some sort of work-from-home recommendation and/or a ban on going to the office. What nonsense. The main desire is for governments to allow companies to set their own rules, decide what makes sense for their own business and act accordingly. The same goes for the concept of quarantine, which is spreading rapidly. Does this really make sense at this point? Let’s go back to the center to allow for more self-responsibility and less nanny. Also, since it was created on New Year’s Eve, there are a lot of things that you cannot do while working from home. One of my favorite games in the Zurich office on quiet Tuesdays is “catch the grapes” (a bite-sized fruit will do). I think you understand how this game works. Fun for a few minutes, a bit of rest for those who have their heads low and one of the many things that helps bring the team together rather than solitude with kids, cats, and partners who have a lot of opinions about what they’ve heard in communication.
3. A bigger diet for the media
A few months ago I recommended that one of the best things you can do for your mental health, especially in the English-speaking world, is to start reading daily newspapers (and accompanying opinions) from other markets – Portugal, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium. Getting new opinions and perspectives from other parts of the planet can be invaluable as it gives you a better start to your day, not to mention presents all kinds of smart opportunities. And yes, Google Translate does wonders – even when it comes to longer and more complex readings. You’ll be glad to know that not all countries or the media take a left-wing idiot canceling/don’t say that/stifling debate as normal. I hope more people can add an extra day or two to the media’s morning breakfast buffet.
4. Shhhhhhhh!
Many railways in Switzerland have silent buses, where the do not chatter/don’t you dare peep code is strictly enforced – more so than wearing masks. Could more companies adopt this concept, please? With so many of us feeling like we’re losing the battle against all those who treat the world as one big living room where it’s okay to watch and listen to family videos, HBO series and porn in public, is it time for savvy business owners to define spaces of serenity and calm? Furthermore, isn’t it time to return authority to managers and allow them to enforce clearly defined house rules?
5. Time for an allergy bite?
Davos may be off again, but can someone quickly hold a conference that will put companies and governments back on the path to making sensible decisions. Fast and fast! I am delighted to host a group of leaders who need challenging ideas and concepts emerging from an ever-dwindling channel of narrative and so-called solutions. Should we aim for something in the next three weeks? I’m all ears in tb @monocle.