Someone recently asked me “What was the best thing about 2020?” My response? “2021”!

All kidding aside, 2020 will, I am sure, go down in history as one of the most eventful, unsettling, unusual and disconcerting years in human history. How could it not? I look at this year like a car wreck. Here we are, cruising along with everything seemingly fine and then WHAM! A collision. Out of the blue. Didn’t see it coming, no way to prepare for it. Full stop.

Like the aftermath of a car wreck, we assess. Are we hurt? Is anyone else involved hurt? Do we need help? What is next? Is the vehicle drivable? How do we get back on track? This is what 2020 has felt like to me.

I have always said that the character of an organization or an individual is not measured by when times are good, but more accurately when times are not good. Times of adversity and challenge bring out the true essence of who we are: our tenacity, courage, initiative, compassion, and empathy. These are things that define us in times of challenge and crisis.

2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic has been this type of challenge. It has tested us in ways that one could not have imagined. From the very foundation of who we are: our families, our friends, our businesses, our faith, our health, our liberty, and freedom to move about. How we handle loss, how we adapt our lives and behaviors to these seemingly endless changes in circumstances.

At Cardinal Management Group, because we serve the public in thousands of homes in hundreds of communities, we did not have the luxury of feeling sorry for ourselves. When the crisis first hit, we sprang into action by creating our COVID Response Team. This group of senior management professionals dedicated countless hours to brainstorm responses, devise solutions and approaches, and to implement them and follow up on their effectiveness throughout our system. We openly communicated with our employees and our clients. We have been, and remain, resolute throughout this entire ordeal.

Almost everything has changed from how we work, to where we work, and when we work. One thing that has not changed is our commitment to our Boards of Directors, our residents, and our team members to work as hard now as we ever have. What has not changed is our pursuit of our mission; “Managing to Make a Difference”.

So as 2020 draws to a close I would ask - is your glass half empty or is your glass half full? Each of us can define how we choose to deal with these challenging circumstances. Change is inevitable and embracing change, influencing outcomes, and taking a positive attitude toward what lies ahead is, in my mind, the only way to stay “on top”. That is who we are. That is who Cardinal is.

I am humbled and blessed to be in the position that I am. I am proud to be associated with so many fine professionals. I am grateful. Regardless of what hardships we each have endured during 2020, you should be too. 2021? BRING IT!