Here is a simple infographic to help those who may be struggling to lead their teams in these very troubling and chaotic times. These tips are based on years of coaching leaders, being a leader, and working for leaders (good and not so good). If I missed any you think are critical to good crisis leadership, sound off in the comments. Thanks for stopping by!
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Last week, before I began a short holiday break, I had a call with a client who was struggling with the barrage of bad news we receive on a daily basis. We discussed taking an eFree weekend, setting up personal boundaries on news consumption, and gratitude practice.
This is someone who is a very high performer, leader of a mid-size organization, and very driven person. So, for me, it was a good reminder that not everyone deals with disruption, stress, or change in the same way. We are all facing challenges of some sort and many may be experiencing personal and professional upheaval on a massive level. As leaders, before we call anyone out for a lack of productivity, we have to pause and consider the big picture.
We have been operating in COVID-world for three years and, in most major U.S. cities and around the globe, we struggle to make sense of war, persecution, and revoking of rights – all of which seem unbelievable in 2022. That is a LOT to process for everyone and the daily uncertainty we all live with is taking its toll on many people. Some struggle to maintain productivity or focus on work. That’s a lot to handle and leaders need to ensure they act from a place of empathy and take time to understand the unique challenges every employee is facing.
As we find our way through this world, it is important to approach each situation with empathy. Recognize the everyone is facing challenges that we may know nothing about so I recommend we go easy, give people the tools they need to succeed, and exercise our empathy muscles.
When a leader leads with empathy, s/he creates loyalty and promotes an employee experience that results in a more engaged workforce and, ultimately, delivers more value to the customer. At any time, especially now, leading with empathy is critical.
What do you think? Do you believe in the importance of empathy? Let us know in the comments below.