Notes from Neen: How do you approach a storm?

Before we get into this week’s newsletter let me take a moment to thank you for the generous emails, texts and messages — and your concern, prayers, and understanding as Tampa dealt with the one-two punch of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. If you sent a message, I promise I saw it and apologize for not replying to every message — it was overwhelming, and we are deeply grateful.

One of my brilliant friends is constantly telling me, “be kind and gentle with yourself” — he often frustrates me when he says it (aren’t we often the toughest on ourselves) and I secretly hate that he is (always) right. His advice is always delivered at the perfect time when I need to hear it the most, and given all that has occurred these past few weeks, it’s a reminder I’ll share with you too.

Whatever storm you find yourself experiencing today, there are people who want to help you, all you need to do is just have the courage to share that you need help, admit you are scared, acknowledge you feel anxious, or let someone know you are overwhelmed. You don’t have to tell the world, just one person.

And if you are like my brilliant friend, maybe you are someone’s protector, a safe place, a port in the storm — thank you for being that person for so many.

We are surrounded by water at our home, and the preparation for the predicted storm surge was physically and mentally exhausting — imagine, there you are, putting all of your furniture, belongings, and memories as high up as you can get them, and making decisions about what must be saved versus what would be nice to save, all while making sure you and your loved ones will be physically safe.

Calm in the Chaos

Of course, all of this happened during one of my most busy seasons of business — 9 of the 15 weeks remaining from September through to when we close the office for the holidays in December include travel for my speaking engagements and coaching clients!

I love all of the travel, and serving so many individuals and audiences, but when storms are brewing — both literally and figuratively — it can be hard to keep up, and easy to get overwhelmed with the work that needs to be done.

In your career, you are guaranteed to go through a storm or two. How you approach those storms can either make them more chaotic, or you can be a port in the storm for your team and your stakeholders. As leaders, we have a responsibility to create environments that are innovative and collaborative and that allow our team’s productivity and creativity to flourish in the calm, and galvanize us in a storm.

I am so fortunate to have an amazing team to keep things running smoothly when the storm took my attention away from work — Sue, our Sales Goddess, kept up communication with our clients; Jen, our Operations Goddess, renegotiated priorities, meetings and delivery dates; and Tiffany, our Social Goddess, adjusted content and fielded messages. Knowing that I had a team to jump in made the work of preparation and the uncertainty of the aftermath that much easier to deal with. My dear friend Tamsen didn’t allow a day go by without a text message (even though I didn’t respond) — everyone needs that one friend.

As soon as the storm cleared I tried to focus on my routines (and reached out to my trainer to schedule a session so something could feel normal) — I attempted mediation, tried to exercise, and constantly reminded myself to breathe through everything — it was my work systems that helped me refocus and get back to serving our clients.

The world doesn’t stop for a storm — however we can lessen the impact with teamwork, extending grace to ourselves and those around us, and systems of attention.

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