Covid-19. How are the leaders around you handling it? Like all of you, I’ve been watching the news and seeking out information. How bad is it in our state? What are the new rules? What do I need to do to help the company I work for? What can I do as a life coach to help?
I’ve also been catching too much of the 24-hour cycle, listening and searching for anything new or useful.
Beyond all that, I’ve been attending to my own visceral reaction to the ways people are leading. Life coaching and mindfulness work give me a skill – the skill of being the observer at the same time I’m the participant. Not all the time, naturally. I fall into habit patterns and run my mouth when I ought to take a breather, just like everyone else. Sometimes, though, I am both reacting to information and situations and observing those reactions at the same time. I’m sure you do the same.
Right now, I’m paying close attention to the leaders that are emerging. In times like this, when the unexpected is up against the unimaginable, the leaders among us become visible.
“I am reminded how hollow the label of leadership sometimes is and how heroic followership can be.”
— Warren Bennis
Right now, we can see where there are gaps in leadership, where there are urgent needs, and where hard choices are being made. There are people stepping in to solve problems, to make decisions and to coordinate action and we can clearly see who our leaders are.
“All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.”
— John Kenneth Galbraith
Right now is our time to act and our time to learn. Here are a few of my observations –
- It doesn’t much matter what your role is. Far more important is that you understand your role. The people with a clear understanding of the function of their position and the demands they need to meet are the people we’re cheering for. Anybody standing up and clearly stating the priorities, the strategies and the tasks that will accomplish objectives is looking like a superhero right now. That’s pretty interesting isn’t it? That means that each of us has that opportunity to be clear, direct and on target, working for the most critical and impactful outcomes at this moment in history.
- It’s crazy important to communicate – early and often. Humans are extremely resilient and flexible. So it’s interesting to notice that leaders who established a predictable pattern of communication early on, earned trust, even when they have to correct or recommunicate information. Turns out, if people believe you are committed to keeping them informed you earn trust. If you have trust, then you have leeway, you have a partnership.
- Facts, man. Facts. Compare communications from officials in which there are no facts to those where the communicator provides facts. Notice your reaction. For me, when the speaker can’t pull a single fact out to share, their message loses meaning for me.
- Clear priorities. Notice the leaders who indicate clearly what the priorities are. Notice your reaction to them. I find myself buying into that commitment and far more willing to go along with their suggestions. For instance, staying home and learning to play the fiddle when I’m pretty sure I’m about to miss out on my last chance to buy a ring-ding.
- Meaningful steps clearly laid out to achieve a meaningful goal. Do you want to save health care workers? I’m in. Is step one washing my hands? I’m in. Is step two donating money to hospitals? Done. Is step three sewing masks? Google and sewing machine, done.
Yeah. So what?
Notice something here. Having priorities, knowing the steps needed to take, having a clear understanding of your job function, communicating regularly and double-checking your facts – are all things you can do.
Yeah. You.
This list is just what I’m noticing. Leadership is one of those things, like art – you know it when you see it. That means that what resonates with me, won’t be perfectly aligned with how you define leadership. Doesn’t matter.
Here’s what matters – leadership, at a time like this is critical. Step on up. Lead yourself. Lead others. Bring everything you’ve got to the game and go all in. Now more than ever we need you to lead on.
And that? Is just good to do.
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