How to Lead Your Team Through a Crisis

When shit hits the fan, people turn to the leaders in their lives for guidance and reassurance that things are going to be okay.

If you find yourself in that position now, here are a few things you can do – for you and your team…

Before all else, keep calm

If you want your team to be calm, certain, and regulated, then you have to step up and set that example for them.

Your words, behaviour, and the energy you give off will influence the people around you whether you’re conscious of it or not.

It’s not enough to be putting on a brave face and panicking internally. Give your team some credit, they’ll see right through that.

The key to staying calm is through preparation, planning, and having contingencies in place.

If you do consume a bit too much media and start to feel that negativity and level of anxiety, try balancing yourself out with meditation and regulation techniques to bring you back to a nice, calm centre.

Build relationships

When people say, “leave your baggage at the door.” At team Kerwin Rae, we say, “bullshit”.

Baggage weighs you down, it stops you from moving forward and it’s definitely not going to lead to agile, high performance.

We tell our team members to bring their baggage in. Unpack it, deal with it, and we can move on from there.

This is the future of business, with heart and healing so we can perform at higher levels.

What is the natural consequence of helping your team members heal.

What is the natural consequence of supporting team members with stuff they’re going through?

The level of trust, respect, and loyalty that you will build within your team will be the thing that sees you thrive.

Your mission is dependent on your ability to coordinate and collaborate with individuals and get them behind you.

And what can you do once you have a loyal force of people behind you?

You can lead them. Through hell or high water.

Recognise that the challenge is necessary

They say that real leaders are forged in the furnace of hell.

Do you want to be a leader who backs out at the first sign of turbulence?

Or do you want to be someone that can navigate a team through a cyclone? Through massive change?

If you want to be a truly great leader, you’re going to have to go through a lot to get there.

You don’t get to just adopt some title and call yourself a leader.

You actually have to earn your stripes.

That means rising to the challenge, keeping your cool, and dealing with whatever is at hand.

No matter what the situation is, I have faith that true leaders will see it through.

If you’ve read through and want some extra guidance, I am offering a limited amount of #CoronaReady Strategy Sessions with my senior consultants.

But, they are filling up quickly so be sure to jump on it quickly – only the strong will survive!