There is no leadership manual for dealing with a global health emergency that occurs once in a century; There is no script to guide what you should say to team members, customers, and stakeholders in your business.
Right now, everyone's leadership skills are being tested in ways we could hardly have imagined a month ago. It is not just a matter of how resilient our organizations are and how quickly they can adapt to travel blockages and restrictions. It is a challenge to our resilience as human beings.
When Stewart Butterfield, the founder of Slack, tweeted the story in recent days of how his business was responding to the Covid-19 emergency, he presented his comments with a simple introductory note: "I am a human. I am concerned about my family and I am deeply concerned about the millions whose jobs and health are at risk. ”It was the correct opening note.
I have always believed that great leadership is forged in the crucible of adversity, but great leaders are those who respond with empathy and vulnerability even when making the most difficult decisions. We all need reserves of determination and positivity precisely at the moment when those qualities lengthen.
Where do those reserves come from? Here are four ways to build resilience:
Own your resilience
Meet one of the most notable people I know, Debra Searle. She is a successful businesswoman, author, and television presenter, and the Queen has honored her twice for her accomplishments in her native UK and beyond. She has a mental toolkit that served her well in one of the toughest trials imaginable: paddling alone across 3,000 miles of ocean in a boat built for two.
Debra's advice ranges from "running the movie", visualize yourself confronting and overcoming the difficult times ahead, to choosing your attitude every day.
"This is the only thing I had to choose from," says Debra. “Every day I made an attitude decision: I said it out loud. It had to be a positive attitude. Negative attitudes were banned on the ship. "
Keep communicating
Keep talking. Keep listening. Our team has been communicating openly on multiple channels as the coronavirus crisis unfolds and after the decision to ask staff to work remotely. exist virtual meetings, taped sessions, emails, and I've opened my schedule to anyone in the business to set aside time for a conversation. And those conversations have ranged from the current crisis, to the response of our clients, to simply laughing at the antics of our home office.
The most important message is how to embrace the "new normal" for the entire team. We all need to prioritize and support our family at times like these. For some, the new normal could be seen as two working adults competing for Internet bandwidth at home, taking turns responding to the screams of one or two young children. For others, you may be caring for at-risk parents or family members. But whatever the new normal for each colleague, there is one thing everyone should know about their leader: prioritize their family and well-being. If something has to give up in life right now, let it be work.
When everything is done, reflect and learn
When this crisis subsides, and will do so in time, the temptation is for leaders to rush in without looking back. But part of resilience is learning lessons. The former commander of the US Navy. USA SEAL, Mark McGinnis, describes this as part of the "Corporate Rhythm of Battle," a complete cycle of planning, reporting, executing, and meeting.
"After a mission, we immediately gather in a very sacred environment where there is no rank, no guilt, no privilege, no seniority, and we sit and talk emotionlessly about the successes and failures of the mission. It is important to capture both." , He says.
“The successes because we want to keep doing things that work and the failures because we cannot afford to make the same mistake twice. If we repeat mistakes in my world, it has catastrophic results. ”
And the result of a SEAL team report isn't just kept within the mission squad. Lessons are open to each SEAL, from the highest to the lowest rank. "I'm accelerating everyone's experience, whether they go out and do operations or not," says Mark.
Take the time to reflect and keep a report; No two crises are alike, but there will be lessons to be learned from your organization's response to Covid-19.
Direct as if your children were watching
In essence, times of crisis challenge leaders to be the best versions of themselves. I remember an idea that Sean Pederson of Trek Bicycles came up with a few years ago: "Lead as if your kids are watching." It is great advice. And right now, if you're reading this while working at home, they probably are.
Alex Shootman is CEO of Working front