Never before have we experienced anything like this. We face a terrifying, global virus that has no boundaries and connects at speed. We know that the worst is still most likely yet to come. Most of us are experiencing enforced measures to limit our social interactions and movements and we can all feel the heightened sense of urgency to control and contain Covid-19’s grip. As human beings, many of us feel anxiety and stress, to which we respond in different ways.
These may be fear-based behaviours, as we grapple to deal with this unknown. Human brains work in a specific way when dealing with and then interpreting what we deem a threat.
A state of constant uncertainty or change or both, leads us to being in a state of constant high alert, which sets off different emotions and behaviours from within, such as distraction, fear and anxiety. I’ve experienced these behaviours myself, and when I’ve worked on company transformations, I’ve witnessed a lot of these behaviours play out too.
These emotions and behaviours, if not managed, lead to less effective decision-making, poorer memory, less patience and being much more triggered by people’s behaviours. Depending on how we manage ourselves, our behaviours and emotions, can impact either positively or negatively on our relationships and our performance.
As a leader, your impact on people is huge. This is a good time to understand the neurological pattern, so you can be at your most understanding, supportive and effective when dealing with others and yourself. Dealing with crisis and the long-term unknown shouldn’t be approached as a sprint, but rather like training for a marathon. What are the stepping stones you can put in place to help you stay strong, resilient, focused and supportive?
It’s important to be able to have a well thought out, purposeful strategy so you can make it to the half-way point and push on to the finish line. Crossing the finish line as the credible, well-respected leader you’ve intentionally designed from the get go, will help anchor, ground and motivate you, and keep you strong when the going seems particularly tough. Your clear vision of you during this time of crisis, will also give you something to reflect and self-correct against to keep you on track as the best leader you want to be.
Some questions to ask yourself to kick start your #newnorm leader setup 101:
During and at the end of this crisis, what do you want to stand for, and be known for as a leader?
What do you want your boss and peers to be feeling and saying about you?
What do you want your team members to be feeling and saying about you?
What are the key values and behaviours that are core to you, (and your company), and that you want to consistently demonstrate throughout this time?
What are the top 3-5 values and behaviours you’ve chosen that will bring about your desired outcomes to questions 1, 2 and 3, and which you want to consistently role model?
What are your 3-5 #newnorm leader commitments that you’ll now put into play on a daily/weekly basis?
Now ask yourself ‘how’ you are going to consistently deliver these commitments.
Write down these goals and commitments and place them on the wall in front of your desk, so you can reflect at the start and end of each day and reset if needs be.
This outcome of this short exercise will help you define who you want to be at this time, to keep you anchored and balanced, and support you to be at your best when dealing with others.
We aren’t in control of a lot of things currently, but there are many things we can control and which will benefit us and those around us. Step one on this #newnorm leadership journey is setting yourself up to manage your ‘state’ for the long-term, and to be the intentional, purposeful and values-led leader you aspire to be during this time of uncertainty.
Next step on the #newnorm setup is creating the healthy daily ritual that works for you. I’ll be talking about this in my next blog and helping to give you ideas and inspiration to help you design yours, so do look out for it.