Need an antidote to all this uncertainty?

Every Thursday in Chicago Comes Back , Emily Drake and Todd Connor provide resilient leadership insights to help your business move forward as we emerge from the pandemic. Drake and Connor facilitate Crain's Leadership Academy. Drake is a licensed therapist, owner of the Collective Academy and a leadership coach. Connor is the founder of Bunker Labs and the Collective Academy and is also a leadership consultant.

Todd Connor: I know the week ahead is what a lot of leaders are talking about, and rightfully so. This election will be profound. I've found part of the salve for the uncertainty is action. Specifically, taking steps to make our cities—and Chicago specifically—happier, healthier and more productive. Just as businesses are designing the new normal, so, too, are city and state agencies that have had to adapt to supporting their constituents virtually. I'm excited to connect Chicago Comes Back readers with Brenna Berman, formerly chief technology officer for the city of Chicago who now leads City Tech Collaborative, where they are coming at this happy, healthy conversation from a technology perspective. Imagine that? Marrying technology with happiness!

Emily Drake: I know, it's sort of a radical thought. But it's in line with what we shared a few weeks back about contemplating social media and leadership.Brenna, welcome to the space. I love to hear from leaders about what they've realized working in a COVID world—in other words, what they've doubled down on and what they've cast aside as it relates to leadership since we began shelter-in-place. COVID has been clarifying for so many, for better or for worse. I imagine you could not have known how important your leadership and mission would become during COVID. What has changed for you and the focus of your work?

Brenna Berman: Taking the opportunity to reflect has been key for me. Cities have been hit hard by the effects of the virus, which are taking a toll on urban economies, communities and cultures. Big problems require inclusive solutions, and City Tech's approach to multisector, multistakeholder collaboration absolutely applies to the current pandemic. For example, we're partnering with cities, large and small corporations and academic partners to increase access to COVID testing by tackling cultural barriers at the community level; we're helping entertainment venues welcome back guests in safe and healthy ways; and we're supporting mobility providers while they manage their capacity within social distancing guidelines.

TC: That government is moving into action, in partnership with you and City Tech, is something I find really inspiring. It's an antidote to what I think a lot of us are feeling: dismay or disillusion, even apathy. We can't afford to stay in those feelings if we are to make the comeback Chicago deserves. You've been at the forefront of applied technology for government solutions. Where are you seeing cities and other units of government accelerating their adoption of technologies?

BB: Technology actually becomes more critical to solving problems when resources are scarce, and governments across the world at all levels are struggling to do more with less. To go back to COVID specifically, we see governments using technology to enable core activities like COVID data analytics, tracking and tracing. Tech is also unlocking opportunities to improve the way we manage resources and public spaces in light of COVID. Two great examples from right here in Chicago include the Chicago PPE Market that the city and World Business Chicago launched with local startup Rheaply, to help small businesses and nonprofits find the PPE they need to reopen safely. And, City Tech recently announced the Millennium Gateway Testbed Challenge to generate the best ideas to utilize large downtown spaces in new ways.

ED: This reminds me of our conversation about the role of the arts in our recoveryand the idea that every person, every organization and every sector has a role to play in the big problems, many of which COVID amplified. I think of it as a question of, with the power and influence you have, what will you do? Amid all of this, and the appreciation for what we need from the government, whether it's a vaccine, a national COVID strategy or just safe and healthy cities, do you think the role of leaders in the public sector will evolve?

BB: Government evolves as cultures change, and today, the role and function of government is being as disrupted by technology as much as any other industry. Technology can transform government, but only if each level of the government embraces it.

We need leaders who can harness disruption and forge new innovations for government that align with how our culture is evolving. This requires people who are forward-looking, engaged, experienced, courageous and honest. The role of government in our lives is evolving, and that evolution requires talented men and women willing to lead selflessly.

TC: Change is happening, always—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. As a final thought, any take on what the "new normal" will be? Particularly from where you sit in the technology space?

BB: The pandemic has provided an opportunity to rethink our processes, models and cultural norms without any of the expectations that might have limited innovation in the past. I think it is too soon to declare exactly what the "new normal" will be six or 12 months from now. For me, it is more important to take this opportunity to think about what is best for my organization's clients, my team and the residents that we serve. Time and again I come back to a hybrid that keeps the best of the past and lets me adopt the best of the future. My touchstone terms right now are "flexibility" and "hybrid." I hope to see a similar approach in the civic tech community.

Read the article at Crain's Chicago Business.