Outcome of a crisis is unknowable,
but we need to deal with our own anxiety before we can lead others.
—————–
Place mask on yourself before child…
A Steady Hand
Leaders maintaining calm in the storm is no easy trick, but striving for that mindstate can help keep our internal gyroscope functioning. Somehow, The Leader must inspire others while managing their own anxiety in a crisis. How?
Harvard Business School professor Nancy Koehn provides a good guide in Forged in Crisis. She says history’s best leaders (Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, etc.) understood how to provide stability, a steady hand, and hope—even when unsure of the road ahead.
How Much To Share?
Leaders may be stumbling through their own worries and fears as they try to figure out what to do and say. They must be careful how they share the trouble with different audiences. Balancing brutal honesty and credible hope is no cakewalk. They won’t help the situation or the team by tossing the same hot potato at everybody.
Share a Lot – If there’s a solid Executive Committee (or trustworthy advisors), the leader can candidly discuss the situation. The officers surely can provide support and might offer good ideas. The leader could benefit from unburdening – helping lower stress, leading to better decisions.
Share a Little – When leaders address the same issue with lower-level managers and workers, they should expose less trepidation and self-doubt. These employees are entitled to honesty and some hope, if it exists, and to just know serious work is afoot.
Step-by-Step
When the resolution is still unknown, we must navigate step by step. We can prepare the different audiences by explaining that there may be fits and starts. If we stumble, perhaps we’ll avoid a collective gasp and instead hear, “Well, that’s to be expected.”
Koehn suggests we create a routine to dilute people’s fear. We won’t be regularly broadcasting like FDR’s Fireside Chats, but we can hold regular meetings to keep our team, at different levels, informed. We must avoid a deafening silence that leads to unnecessary doubt, even panic. We might even inject a little humor.
Managing Fear
Leaders need ways to release their fears and anxieties. Best to do so privately with trusted colleagues. Koehn gives examples: During the Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK swam and talked privately with his brother Bobby, whom he trusted. Lincoln paced the halls late at night, sang songs, and told raunchy jokes. I would add that close friends can provide support by listening confidentially, even if they can’t offer professional guidance.
Deep Breaths
This is simplistic but scientifically proven to help manage anxiety. Breathing deeply (and meditating) for a few moments, before starting meetings and phone calls, clears the head and body beyond what we might expect. Even two deep breaths, preferably through the nose, can change our physiological relationship with stress—and maybe how we handle ourselves with colleagues.
This practice can help us leave behind the residue from the last meeting or phone call, quiet our chattering thoughts, reduce our thinking about future concerns, and help focus us on the present work at hand—even if it’s crisis-laden.
Plus, calm like stress is contagious.
Be Present
Ruminating on the past or freaking out about the future won’t help the situation. Being truly present at meetings and phone calls will increase our ability to deal with our team and the crisis, which is the best we can do.
History’s finest leaders, facing immense crises, understood how to provide stability and hope while uncertain of the road ahead. Like them, we’re just human beings doing our utmost—even when we’re stressed out, unsure, and wearing the crown of The Leader. Breathe deeply and lead on.
