When the Resilience Reserves are Empty – What Leaders Can Do

We are all so spent and it’s no wonder.

The pandemic drones on. The political landscape remains challenging. Racial strife continues. New wars erupt. Mass shootings mow people down. The Supreme Court takes away women’s rights. High inflation heightens economic anxiety. And more: monkey pox, runaway wildfires, drought, floods, supply chain shortages, and rolling blackouts.

Our extra reserves of resiliency have run dry. Our people are reeling and we, as leaders, are not exempt.

Despite everything, I have seen teams persevere by first surviving and then thriving, leading to many team members achieving career bests.

But often the worst of times can bring out the best in us.?Despite everything, I have seen teams persevere by first surviving and then thriving, leading to many team members achieving career bests. Inclusive leaders have been vital to restoring this type of resiliency in their teams by practicing connection, care, inspiration, and effective support. Let’s look at each of these practices separately and how they lead to stronger teams that are able to achieve impactful business results no matter the swirl of difficulty and uncertainty.

Restoring Resiliency

Connection

Leaders report that they have struggled to stay connected with their people over the past two years.??

People wistfully talk about catching up at the water cooler or stopping by a cubicle to chat, casual activities that remain elusive. During the pandemic, we were challenged to connect in new ways as we adapted to primarily virtual work even now with lockdowns over and some people back at the office, not everyone is in the same place at the same time.

This is why regular 1:1 meetings with each team member are even more critical. In these catch ups connected conversations can range from the fun (how was that camping trip? what do you think of one of the hottest TV shows, did you see the latest recipe taking social media by storm?) to the more personal “ how is your dad who suffered an injury?) to work (how are you feeling about your projects, are you learning, what do you want to do more of, or less of?).

As simple as these ideas sound, virtuality demands proactive reminders to connect via virtual walks, coffees, or team lunches and, when possible, in-person paired or group events.

The key is forming authentic human connection.

Care

As we connect with the sharing of information, as leaders, we need to then take that to a deeper level and demonstrate that we care about what they are sharing.

Demonstrating genuine interest, showing vulnerability, and sharing your own struggles deepen our ability to show sympathy and empathy and in that be part of making people feel cared for.?How are you feeling about sending the kids back to school? How are you feeling about your workload? How has this [fill in the blank] (latest news story or societal shift) impacted you? The simple question of, “how are you really doing?” can open conversations you have never had before with team members, even those with whom you have long histories.

Inspiration

Connecting to the big picture of “why” we are doing the “what” continues to be a strong driver of engagement. Ensuring that each team member understands how their role, generally or on a specific project, ties to the larger team and Company goals provides them with the purpose behind their work.

At Korn Ferry, when in-person meetings came to a halt due to Covid, we had a few weeks to turn all our in-person classroom programs into virtual classroom experiences. This was essential both to Korn Ferry’s ability to deliver its promises to clients and to keep our revenue coming in. Tapping into individuals’ talents along with their passions and tying the work to the higher purpose of delivering value to the firm and clients, created inspiration that yielded career best performance and high engagement even in the midst of trauma.

Effective Support

As we continue to navigate this uncertain world, our team members each may require different kinds of support.

One may need time off to take care of a child unexpectedly home due to a daycare closure, another may need more time on a project because they have come down with Covid and are unable to focus on the work for a few days, and another may be distracted by a myriad of other challenges surfacing in our individual and collective world.

Stress may manifest as malaise, headaches, sleeping late, being less eager to take on new challenging development projects, or a multitude of other symptoms. We need to have candid conversations about what is causing these symptoms. And we need to ask, what do you need? Is it a day off, a new project, some support, or something else entirely? ?Leaders need to avoid the temptation to write off a team member as being “disinterested” or “not motivated” and instead seek to really understand what each individual needs due to their unique situation – and then follow through to provide that support.

The Unexpected Gift

Teams have been through this intense shared experience over the past two years. Those that have had leaders demonstrating the practices above have emerged more connected, collaborative, and able to produce some of the most innovative, invigorating, career-best experiences despite the challenges.

People are still tired, and reserves are low. But when leaders seek to be inclusive by connecting, caring, inspiring, and offering effective support -- this is what refills the tanks, creates loyalty, and allows our great talent to engage in the meaningful work that we do.

Work can then become a place that offers opportunity to have those career-best moments and contribute to strong business outcomes, despite the turmoil around us.

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