Leaders – it’s time to lead…
In times of crisis – whether you’re struggling to go on, or struggling to handle the success, it’s very understandable for people to feel uncertain, fearful, worried. The more people worry the more the worse they feel and the more they worry! As leaders, it’s our role to break the cycle.
Your role is to provide an antidote to the fear and uncertainty:
1. Clarity of purpose and a vision
All teams become listless or even depressed when there’s no vision or confused goals. You don’t have to be the one to have all the ideas, but you do need to be the leader stating them clearly. Let’s be clear – you need to provide an inspiring vision and clear goals and it needs to be in writing. Put it on the walls, on the website, on your invoices, everywhere.
2. Demonstrate unshakable confidence
If you’re not inspired and confident, how can you expect any of your team to be? By all means, be human, show some vulnerability, and then get your act together and communicate with absolute confidence. Don’t act, don’t fake it, be real, be truly confident.
3. Communicate positively and frequently
Regular communication to your team is vital. A monthly team meeting could be sufficient but weekly is usually the minimum. In times of turmoil or challenge, ramp-up the communication to daily. Maybe 5 minutes on Zoom each morning or lunchtime, or a nice email (not a grumpy one), or both.
4. Set clear goals and ensure everyone has a plan
Your aim is to ensure that every team member knows where the company is headed, they each know their role in getting there, and they feel confident that they can do it. Anything less will result in some degree of failure, and that, as the old saying goes, is not a viable option.
5. Structure
When people are feeling unsettled, unsure, worried… give them structure. If a team has been working in an office and is now working from home, this is especially important. Define regular catch-ups, regular communication, and regular, short, 1-to-1 conversations. Every team member is important – make sure they feel that way.
6. Celebrate every win, no matter how small
Not everyone is comfortable with this. If that’s you, if you say “but they’re just doing the job I pay them for” trust me when I tell you it’s an expensive mistake. Didn’t your mother ever teach you? Be generous with your praise. It means a lot coming from you. Say thank you, say well done, and mean it. Good people have a choice where to work, so look after them. If you haven’t yet communicated with the people who will be looking to you for leadership, please send a message now. They’re waiting.
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”- Winston Churchill
