Stepping Into Leadership During Crisis
The topic of leadership is becoming more and more important. Especially in a year like 2020 that has been filled with chaos, stress and unprecedented events. There is a tendency to look at the leaders of countries or the leaders of States or the leaders of political or business organizations and expect them to lead us through this. The truth is, is that we're all a leader in some way, and we all have a leadership role to play during this time to create a new normal that moves us all forward and encourages growth and evolution on a global scale. It doesn't matter if you are leading a team in your workplace, leading a protest or a religious or a political affiliation, your family or even if you're just leading yourself – when you start to recognize yourself as a leader you’ll view the world, and your ability to change it, differently.
I spent a lot of time during the 2020 lockdowns watching what various leaders did. Of those who successfully navigated the Covid-19 waters to create a team that was unified and still focused on their mission, there was three major traits that emerged as essential to their success. Looking at the bigger picture, past 2020 and beyond, I believe these key traits will help a leader navigate any crisis that emerges in the future.
The three essential traits every leader needs to practice embodying are:
1 – Lean into the discomfort.
Let’s face it – no crisis is comfortable. Where there is comfort, there is no growth or evolution. Pain and the need for survival has been, and always will be, our greatest catalyst for change. Anyone can lead in a good economy, or through the highs of business or situation. The colors of any person and leader comes out in times of discomfort and stress.
It’s like those awkward puberty years, we have to lean into the discomfort and we have to see that there is some purpose to it. For a plant to grow from a seed, the inside of the seed has to come spilling out. Growth and evolution look like chaos. To rebuild any city skyline, we would have to take down – destroy or demolish, the buildings that aren't a part of the new future that we want. And in the process that demolition will look like one big mess. It's through the chaos, through the confusion, that we ultimately find the beauty of the new.
As we're moving through these times of civil unrest and talking about uncomfortable topics like racism and equality, large scale reform and education, or furlough and the future of business in an uncertain economy, the leaders who will make the biggest impact are the ones who are willing to lean into the discomfort and have the uncomfortable conversations. These conversations are needed, even if we don’t quite have the words. There is no one person who has it all figured out. The stand out leaders are the ones who are okay not having all the answers and are willing to create a space to work through it with others who have some of the other missing pieces. True leaders recognize that we are stronger together.
The best leaders also have the ability, while leaning into the discomfort, to share what that experience feels like for them. To be transparent and vulnerable enough to say “I recognize this is a conversation that needs to be had, and I am not totally sure how to have this conversation and remain politically correct. I cannot guarantee that I won’t accidentally say the wrong thing and so I want to share what my intention for having this conversation is first…”
2 – They communicate where they are and what they need effectively.
Any leader is ultimately a human being first and foremost, which means they will have bad days. And as I stated in point #1, they won’t always have the answers. The strongest leaders are the ones who can communicate their weaknesses, while remaining in their personal power.
The most impactful leaders understand the power of a genuine apology when they are wrong. They take ownership for their life and circumstances, without being a victim, rather they seek ways to make change and improve themselves. By recognizing and owning their mistakes, they teach those that they lead that mistakes are part of the natural process of growth and that acknowledging mistakes and offering a genuine apology allows the team to move forward faster. By doing this, the leader becomes someone that those around them to feel a connection to and ultimately to feel safer with.
3 – They create a space of psychological safety.
Within the workplace there is plenty of awareness and training on remaining physically safe in the job. It’s an easy topic to recognize a need for, because we can see the wounds that are created in it’s absence.
The need for psychological safety isn’t as commonly recognized, and yet the lack of it can cause any organization to lose its best and brightest. Brene Brown shared in both her Tedx Talks and many of her books that both creativity and innovation are born from vulnerability. If anyone fears being criticized, put down, guilt tripped or shamed for an idea or a concern it stifles their ability to be vulnerable. Strong leaders recognize this and create a space where others on the team feel safe enough to share their thoughts without fear of punishment in some form. Forward thinking leaders understand that guilt and shame are never effective tools in creating change, rather they only serve to create more issues and keep the receiver emotionally and mentally stuck.
In his book “Ice To Eskimos” Jon Spoelstra shares a strategy he used to create psychological safety (and promote innovation) during his time as the marketing manager for the New Jersey Nets – he created a weekly competition for his team members where he would reward the most ridiculous or untenable idea. This created space for his team to think outside of the box to find the most crazy and bizarre idea. He created an environment where it was not only ok, but ideal, to be the one who was “rejected” to win the weekly prize. What this did for the organization was open up a number of ideas that previously may have been laughed at to increase ticket sales at a time when the Nets were one of the worst teams in the league. It’s been said that companies like Disney have a similar technique to encourage creativity and innovation where the creators and animators brainstorm all the ways they could make an idea work before they look at all the reasons it won’t work. When we start with a creator mindset instead of a critic, we can often surprise ourselves at what we create!
Each of these traits is a practice, one that happens through conscious intention daily. Pick one habit to start with, focus on mastering this trait every single day. Once it begins to feel natural, add in the next trait. Lastly – remember to practice grace. Becoming a powerful leader involves an incredible learning curve, especially where crisis is involved. Be okay with making mistakes. Spend time reflecting on what you did well, and where you can improve tomorrow!