Coping with Isolation and Distancing Without Going Crazy - Part 2 of 2

Recommendations for Leaders

Leaders are in a position to — lead! Here are things you should consider to lead effectively in this very complex and uncertain world.

Check in regularly. Don’t assume.

Understand what your followers need from you. Ask. Listen. Reflect. Act. Don’t assume that you know what they are thinking or feeling.

Help them see what you see.

Share what information you know to be true. Be honest about what you don’t know.

Help your followers focus beyond the horizon. Even though no one can see beyond the horizon we know that there is something beyond what we can see. Speak in terms of possibilities, innovation, and empower others to create a new future not simply to accept it. There is always more. Recalibrate your vision and mission to include (versus resist) uncertainty as a driver for imagination.

Ask better questions.

Ask where the new possibilities are instead of asking how to hold on to the old ways, systems and structures. “What can we create that will be better for us, our business, our clients, our communities and for the planet?” Wake them up!

Be predictable and consistent to gain trust and confidence in this unpredictable world.

You have to be seen as leading authentically, empathetically and collaboratively. This is your Adaptive Challenge. What is an adaptive challenge? Ron Heifitz defines it like this:

Adaptive challenges refer to situations where there are no known solutions to the problem or cases where there are too many solutions but no clear choices. Adaptive challenges are by nature, adaptive, which also means they are fluid and change with circumstances. Adaptive challenges are volatile, unpredictable, complex and ambiguous in nature. Solutions to this type of challenge usually require people to learn new ways of doing things, change their attitudes, values and norms and adopt an experimental mind-set.

Be prepared to lead beyond your current capacity and gather the collective intelligence of those around you to drive change.

Make much more space than before for people to engage in conversations where they can be vulnerable and share their feelings, thoughts and ideas.

These are not chit chat or by-the-way conversations. They must have intention, heart, courage, meaning and non-judgment. Create safe spaces for these conversations.

Margaret Wheatley in her book Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future writes:

“I believe we can change the world if we start talking to one another again.”

During this time, we can choose how to connect to one another without our physical presence. Talking to one another honestly, sharing fear and hope, can change the world. Your job as a leader is to model this and create space for these conversations, even if they are uncomfortable.

Speaking about change she says,

“Change always involves a dark night when everything falls apart. Yet if this period of dissolution is used to create new meaning, then chaos ends, and new order emerges.”

Herein lies the possibility behind the dissolution of old ways. Lead with a creative stance (possibility, emergence) instead of a reactive stance (fear and scarcity).

You’ve Been Training for This

Remember those habits you’ve been practicing for your own self-care? Now’s the time that preparation comes into play. You’ve been training for this. It’s show time! Continue to build the resiliency you need to meet an unknown future. This is also how you prepare to meet the adaptive challenge.

All the healthy habits you have practiced, the self-care focus and resilience preparation will serve you well now. Continue these to build the resiliency needed for making critical decisions, motivating your followers and moving beyond difficult challenges.

This will not be a sprint. It’s a marathon. Pace yourself.

Summary

Thanks for reading this Series (Part I and II). I never expected to write this long but it’s what came out.

I’m not claiming to have answers. Like you, I’m dealing with family, friends, work, economics and everything that makes up my life.

But I’m getting more and more curious and less afraid.

What could be possible from this? What could I/we learn that would help me/us make a better world?

Can I peek over the horizon and imagine a new normal that aligns with my values and creates a generative force towards a more awakened civilization?

I’m asking more and better questions.

I have a saying. (My clients call these #aliciaisms).

One radical question is worth more than a thousand uninspired answers.

Let’s start asking the radical questions, help each other through this with generosity and compassion and commit to courageously creating something new and better for everyone. If not now, really, when?

Read Part 1 of the Series here.

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