Leadership Matters: The new age of resiliency

Follow these four strategies to create focus and reduce stress for both you and your team.

With “pandemic fog” circling home offices like a tornado from the Wizard of Oz, employees are feeling less and less resilient as work-from-home mandates continue in many states. What is pandemic fog? The term embodies the discomfort stemming from one’s capability, or lack thereof, to influence the circumstances surrounding our ever-changing environment. It is an understatement at this point to say that many of us are having difficulty understanding our global community and the questions that linger in response to the pandemic. There is fear regarding illness, political unrest and the unsettling if not bleak economic outlook. If you are a leader, you are not only taking care of yourself but also checking in with your team regularly to navigate this storm.

All of us can agree that we are in unchartered waters. I have worked with hundreds of organizational leaders, and when major change or unexpected mishaps occur, I have found that the following four strategies can be very helpful to build a resilient team.

Be Transparent With All Communication

Knowledge is power. If you find yourself mimicking the “I don’t know” emoji when asked a question about the future, that’s OK. But do remind your employees what their objectives are now and discuss goals. How will the goals be achieved and what is the new plan to get there? Acknowledge that our world is changing, and you will be there to help them change with it. One of our clients has a virtual morning meeting with everyone at 9:00 a.m. to provide daily updates because things are changing so quickly. The client’s leaders do the same thing each day 15 minutes before closing. This gives employees the understanding that while they are doing their jobs, leadership is working hard to secure as much information as possible to keep the whole organization in the loop.

 

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