Dear Leader Put on Your Oxygen Mask First
Wow, it has been a crazy last couple of weeks (2020 has felt like a whole decade all rolled-up in only a few months!) I am writing this blog on my porch in Roanoke, VA on the first day of Spring. It is 73 degrees and I hear the birds chirping away. I also hear the boys playing basketball, and not doing their homework, but I don’t blame them! It is hard to believe all the chaos going on in this world right now. I wanted to take a moment and share some thoughts and offer some tips for the leaders that we work with.
I have a feeling that this COVID-19 situation is going to be a marathon. I think it will take a while for this issue to peak in the U.S. and then the Coronavirus might come back in another wave or two. If this is a possibility, then we are going to have a new normal. This will require a new type of leadership from all of us, and I am encouraging leaders to not do an all-out sprint but to be thinking, “how do I lead my team through the next couple of tumultuous years”.
When the flight attendant teaches us to use the oxygen on an airplane (remember when we all flew all the time!), the first thing they tell you to do is put your mask on first before taking care of others. We must be able to breathe in order to help others. This is a great metaphor for the time we are living in. Your employees, teammates, family and others will be looking to you to lead them. If you are so busy taking care of everyone else and not taking care of yourself then you are likely to make some poor decisions and shake the confidence of your followers.
Here are a few ideas to take care of yourself—
Go for a walk or run
Take a hike
Meditate
Journal
Call a friend and reconnect
Play games with your kids
Do a zoom book club with friends
Okay, so what do your people want from you during this time. First off, they do not expect you to have all the answers. We all recognize we are in unchartered territory. What we need from you is:
Honesty
Transparency
Caring
Empathy
Courage
Consistent Communication
I encourage you to think about this list of 4 H’s and use them each day as you approach your work—
Head—we need your logic, data, facts and tips
Heart—we need you to understand the challenges we are facing and be empathetic to our needs
Humility—do not feel like you have to have all the answers; let us help you find the solutions. If you were wrong about something, admit it and ask for forgiveness
Humor—everyone is stressed, so use some humor to help lighten the mood
This is a great time for a few communication tips—
1. You do not have to have all the answers
2. It is okay to say “I don’t know the answer to your question but I will research and be back in touch with you at ‘x’ time.”
3. Start a ‘frequently asked question list’ and share it with your team
4. Try to communicate a couple of times a week with your team. They are nervous about what they are hearing on the news, from their customers, vendors, etc.
5. Remember, your team will be going through a wide range of emotions over the upcoming weeks—denial, confusion, anger, sadness, fear, acceptance, frustration, creativity, loss of control, and many more. This means you will have to communicate in more than one forum and on a regular basis.
My final thought is, this is a time for some creativity for you and your team. Ask them for their ideas on dealing with the stress. Here are some ideas for you to ponder—
1. Weekly recognition prize given on a zoom call
2. Remote yoga on zoom
3. Challenge everyone to do a 5k (walk, run, volunteer) in the fall. We can train independently and share our progress
4. Virtual happy hours
5. Innovation calls to figure out how to do our work in the new normal
Thanks for all you do and I wish you good health and good luck as you navigate these challenging times. Let us know if we can help in anyway. Take care. Jeff
