Leadership must never stop! The concept of inspiring, positively influencing, protecting, and impacting is a constant practice of great leaders, organizations, and teams.
However, there are three major time periods that act as a sinkhole for leadership and work/life harmony to fall into. The first is the time-period of massive success. It can become difficult for people, organizations, and teams to lead and operate with the same passion, processes, and grit they initially started with on the way to becoming successful. The second time-period is what I call “Middle-Strength”; during this time leaders coast on what’s been working and fail to train their replacements, enhancing their leadership skills, or the skills of their team… soon to crash and burn due to a lack of preparedness for growth and pending change. The third time-frame is the period of crisis. In an unforeseen crisis, hence what the world is experiencing with the Coronavirus Pandemic, many leaders, organizations, and teams will cut back and will obviously be concerned with keeping the organization and the vision afloat, but also concerned for their people.
So what to do? If you’re in a professional position of leadership or a leader of your personal life, how do you maintain and enhance your leadership, personal leadership, and work/life harmony in times of crisis?
C. – Calm
First things first… remain calm. As a former Mental Health Therapist, I had the pleasure and pain of working in various facilities and entering countless dangerous situations… there was never a time that reacting frantically or negatively was helpful. Whether you’re experiencing a professional or personal crisis in your life; stay calm, assess the situation and what the situation or person needs most from you at the moment, identity the best next move, and be willing and prepared to move forward! As a leader, your organization, employees, people, family are awaiting your reaction and will go as you go, be mindful!
R. – Reveal
Now that you’ve assessed the crisis, you’ve processed your emotions, and have a plan of action… it’s time to reveal the plan to your people. As a leader, it’s important to be transparent and share the impact of the crisis, your plan, and your reasoning with clear and easy to understand words to eliminate any confusion. It’s OK to be human and share with your people the impact the crisis has had on you as a leader and the organization, that it’s a turbulent time, and things may change a few times as we evolve through the process.
Your people have been affected by the crisis and the high volume of change. They may not like the current situation, their life may be upside down, but can they respect knowing where they stand!
I. – Inspect
Now that you’ve “Revealed” to your people, it’s time to inspect options! This is an important endeavor because many of the things that have made you or the organization successful may no longer matter or be beneficial during a crisis or post-crisis. For example, as a speaker and trainer, I make my living being in front of people, keynote speaking, training, and networking. The Coronavirus Pandemic eliminated that as an option. Now, it’s time to inspect:
- What does/did experiencing a crisis teach you… about your business, your work, your relationships, and yourself? How will you consistently apply what you’ve learned?
- How can you transfer your skill/superpower into another vehicle for success? How will you maintain this vehicle post-crisis?
- What do the people your serve need most from you right now? How will you fulfill it?
This process of inspection will help to refine you’re your organization, your leadership, lifestyle, and work/life harmony!
S. – Scheme
Now that you have the answers to the questions above, it’s time to put them into consistent action! Your new path will only work if you have an actual plan and process! If you were successful pre-crisis, it’s because you had a process that worked. If you were unsuccessful pre-crisis, it’s because you had a process that didn’t work… or you weren’t working it. During a crisis, it’s time to alter or create a new scheme that works for you; implementing what you’ve learned through the crisis, a new vehicle to deliver your superpower, and how to meet the deepest need of those you serve.
In my previous example, I mentioned I could no longer be on stage or training on-site at companies or schools. I learned not to neglect the virtual and online world and it makes sense for it to be 1/3 of my business. My new vehicle will be virtual 1-on-1’s and my training program will be virtual for companies; meeting leaders and people where they are… working remotely from home, super stressed, anxious, willing to learn new things, and seeking direction professionally and personally. What will be your new scheme to impact your people, your relationships, and the world?
I. – Invest
A new scheme will require you to invest YOUR TIME, YOUR EFFORT, and sometimes YOUR MONEY! Without an initial investment, it’s impossible to get anything on the backend. While consistent investing magnifies the backend! As a leader, you must be willing to invest your time into learning something new, a new way of doing things, the effort to do those things consistently and in a positive manner, and investing the effort to making the “New” work!
S. – Support & Self-Care
As a leader, it can be tough to not crack under the pressure of a crisis. As I mentioned, your people are looking to you for answers, leadership, and resolve. Be mindful to support your people, listen to their needs and concerns, be transparent, and open… as you’d like a leader to be with you. This doesn’t mean relationship won’t end, lay-offs won’t happen, cut-backs won’t occur… it’s doing your best to be understanding, present, transparent, and caring through it!
With all of the chaos of crisis going on, be sure to take care of yourself. You will not be leading for long if you become burnt-out, bitter, or dropping dead of a heart attack. What do you know you need to do for you to relax, decompress, chill-out, and simply be for a little while? Make time and take time for yourself… believe me, no one is likely to come and offer it if you’re not willing to take it! The crisis will be there after your 30 min, hour, or half-day reprieve and you may have a different outlook with new and rested eyes!
I hope “A Leader’s C.R.I.S.I.S.!” resonated with you and allows you to evolve your Leadership & Work/Life Harmony as the concepts apply to your professional and personal life. Enjoy your evolution!
C. = Stay Calm!
R. = Reveal thoughts, feelings, best plan transparently!
I. = Inspect ways to improve due to the crisis, during the crisis and post-crisis!
S. = Scheme new ideas and let them evolve as time passes!
I. = Invest your time, effort, and sometimes your money in “The New”!
S. = Support those around you and also yourself!
“During a crisis, it’s time to alter or create a new scheme that works for you; implementing what you’ve learned through the crisis, a new vehicle to deliver your superpower, and how to meet the deepest need of those you serve”
– Andre Young
Written by: Andre Young
Take the pain out of your company by enhancing Leadership and Work/Life Harmony in your Company, your Teams, and Employees with Andre Young’s on-site Leadership Training Programs, Speaking Engagements, and Virtual Growth Programs! www.youevolvingnow.com Download my App, YEN Push, and allow notifications to enhance your Leadership, Personal Leadership, and Work/Life Harmony! Enjoy your EVOLUTION!!!
