Leadership in a crisis

  • London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom

Author:  Penny Mallory

Short Description

The role of Leadership in a crisis, Leading through and out of a crisis is not easy. The uncertainty a crisis brings can leave people feeling disorientated, overwhelmed and unable to act. Intentional leadership is key in these times and those leaders who are able to slow down, step back and challenge their perspectives and exercise […]

The role of Leadership in a crisis, Leading through and out of a crisis is not easy. The uncertainty a crisis brings can leave people feeling disorientated, overwhelmed and unable to act.

Intentional leadership is key in these times and those leaders who are able to slow down, step back and challenge their perspectives and exercise their mindset muscles are the ones most likely to succeed and thrive. The question is how?

Leadership in a crisis

1.   CHALLENGE YOUR PERSPECTIVES

Our perspectives are the way we see the world; they are shaped by our life experiences. Whether we are leading ourself or leading others in times of uncertainty, one of the best things we can do is to slow down, step back and challenge our perspectives.

Slowing down and stepping back to challenge our perspectives might seem counterintuitive in the midst of what appears to be a crisis, but what we see is foundational to everything. The way we see things influences the way we think about things (our mindset), which determines what we do and the results we get.

Observe: This is where we slow down and step back. Questions to ask here are, “what kind of situation is this”, “is this a real crisis, or a problem to be solved?”.

Orient: Here we consider questions like: “what will help in this situation”, “what resources do we have?”, “what do we know?”, “what are we assuming?” and “are we aligned to our purpose and values?”.

Decide: This is the direction we are going to take based upon the first two stages.

Act: This is where we test our hypothesis. However, this is not the end of the loop. As with any process the information we gather creates opportunities for new learning and so the loop begins again.

2.   EXERCISE YOUR MINDSET MUSCLES

Our mindset is the way we think about things and it is shaped by our perspectives. Like the muscles in our bodies our mindset muscles get stronger when we exercise them. Here are four mindset muscles I believe are critical to leading yourself, your team and business through and out of a crisis.

Purposeful: The first step is to adopt a purposeful mindset e.g. doing the things that serves you, your team and your business best. You can start by reminding yourself and your team why what you are doing is important, what problems you are here to solve and the impact you desire to make.

Understanding: In challenging times the hardest things can sometimes be the softest things. Knowing the perspectives, mindsets, talents, skills and needs of your team is critical to leadership success. People want to feel like they are understood. Take the first 5 minutes in your one to ones with employees to inquire about none work issues and ask them for feedback on how you could be communicating better right now.

Reality: Balancing optimism and realism is the key to leading well in a crisis. People thrive on optimism, but optimism alone is not enough. Optimism must be blended with realism. Effective leaders don’t ‘sugar coat’ facts, they explain things as they are and they also know that it’s okay not to have all the facts. They also use language that helps people understand that they can get through the crisis and how they can contribute to finding solutions to daily challenges.

Agility: The way in which you behave in the midst of crisis matters. How your team sees you respond to the current situation will have a huge impact on their behaviour. This is where agility becomes more crucial than ever.

The 4C’s Framework of Mental Toughness a useful way to understand, develop and demonstrate agility in times of challenge and uncertainty:

Control

This is the sense of control we have over our life and out emotions. “How is your team culture a reflection of who you are and how you lead?”

Commitment

This is your focus and reliability. “Do you have good routines and habits that enable you to be successful?”

Challenge

Challenge is your drive and how you respond to change. “How comfortable are you being uncomfortable?”

Confidence

Confidence is your self-belief and influence.

“How effective are you in overcoming self-doubts when they creep into your mind?”

Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter

Author Profile

Video

The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.

Similar to Leadership in a crisis

Last month, something happened to me at an event that hasn’t happened in well over a decade and How to Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking.  I wish it were something cool like audience members throwing money and candy at me as they cheered “Bravo!” and “Encore!”  But that’s never happened, and probably never will.  […]

  • Author: Jeff Havens
Brent Gleeson

Leading significant organizational change is hard, A Navy SEAL’s 7 Steps for Using Culture to Drive Change. Though well-intentioned, that’s why over half of major transformation efforts fail. Why?   Many reasons can include but aren’t limited to a bad strategy, a weak culture lacking trust and accountability, poor communication, low levels of buy-in, change […]

  • Author: Brent Gleeson
WS Logo 512

This has been a year like no other in Defying the odds. It has no doubt tested every ounce of our faith, our resilience and our belief in the future in owning your life. Some of us have already reached our tipping point whilst others are hanging on by a sheer tread. I acknowledge all […]

  • Author: Nimee Dhuloo
James R. Elliot | NEURO-LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING

Success always starts with failure or rather, often starts with failure. Sometimes when you do something, it becomes a success but happens very rarely. When you want to do something or start something new, try it out in a small scale so that the failure is survivable. You should make sure that adequate data are […]

  • Author: James R. Elliot
John Sanei - The Expansive Podcast

Have you heard about the mildly seductive and The Unbearable Pain of Pleasure extremely elusive ‘I’ll be happy’ game? I used to play it all the time. “I’ll be happy when I lose 10 kilograms.”, “I’ll be happy when I find a lifetime partner.”, “I’ll be happy when the millions come rolling in.” There’s an […]

  • Author: John Sanei
Tony Leon - leaders must stop

Punch-drunk public runs out of faith in its leaders, article written by Tony Leon who is a Political Commentator in South Africa. Cascading corruption, sky-high unemployment, and state incompetence. This daily diet of misery is now so mundane and common that what once induced shock and outrage in us is shrugged off. We have, as […]

  • Author: Tony Leon

A sales slump is a time in which a sales pipeline loses its momentum, leads slow down, or stop coming in altogether, opportunities that are already in play begin to stagnate, and deals that we were sure to win we either lose to a competitor or to a lack of decision-making readiness from the customer. […]

  • Author: Shelley Walters
WS Logo 512

A little while ago, I wrote an article titled “Critical thinking for the Adaptive Leader – nine key characteristics to What are your sacred cows”, which featured on the Conference Speakers International website. I briefly highlighted nine characteristics that Adaptive Leaders adopt to navigate a changing world. For this article, I am going to be […]

  • Author: Eddie Botes

© All rights reserved 2024. Created using VOXEL THEME

1902 Wright Place, Carlsbad, CA, 92008