It is important as we go through these extraordinary times that we Keep Calm and Lead!
I have seen nothing like this in my life. I want to acknowledge anyone who is going through this or whose family is impacted by this virus. My heart feels for you and your family.
At times like these, it is important that we have leaders who step up and I would like to offer five suggestions to help you lead your organization.
1, Have a Role Model Mindset.
Be the one centered among the chaos. Be the role model for your employees how you want them to act and interact. Gather them together to problem solve and to come up with creative solutions to what your business is facing. Show them through your actions that you will guide them through this and support them. They are looking for you to keep calm and lead. Realize that they are watching!
2. Don’t Complain.
Part of being a guiding force in your organization means you shouldn’t complain. Yes, things will be different in the short term. No one knows for sure what that means and what it will look like. As a leader, you might have to pick up some slack. You might be called upon to make hard decisions. Don’t add to everyone’s anxiousness by complaining.
3. Anticipate Emotions.
Understand where the fear will come from. There are only three types of fear- fear of the unknown, fear of loss and fear of finality. As a leader, here is your time to be a shining star with your communication with employees. That is the best way to battle the fear of the unknown. As far as loss goes, chances are you have been through this before or something similar. There was 9-11, then the crash of 2008, many, many bumps along the road to business success. If you own your own business, think back to the beginning. When things are good, we all forget about the hard times. You’ve been through this before.
4. Lookout Farther.
Leaders must look out farther on the business horizon. What are the 80-20 activities that have led to your business success? Focus on those. Keep with the plan. What are the top five things you should keep doing in your business? Ask others in your network what they are doing. It is important not to go through things alone.
5. Use history to guide your forecasting.
As you try to plan for the rest of the year, don’t use this first quarter as a guide. Yes, this first quarter will not be good. The second quarter of the year probably won’t be great either. But don’t use these two quarters to plan the year. We will be at a new normal- whatever that means by the June timeframe. I’m assuming your business has been around for a while, use last year or the previous two to three years numbers as a guide.
Please give these five frameworks some thought as you lead your organization. It is a great time as a leader of people to show up and lead to the best of your abilities! Keep calm and Lead!
If there is anything that I can do to guide you, please contact me.
As always, it is an honor to serve you and I hope that you and your company are getting better every day!
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