Your Leaders Are Not Ok

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The world is especially noisy right now. The geopolitical climate is ultra charged. The business landscape is fraught with layoffs and reorgs. And for the first time in history, we're seeing the climate change crisis collide with global hunger in a way that we could not have anticipated.

With all of these factors in the background, it's fair to say that some of your leaders might not be ok.

Even your high performers are likely struggling to tune out the noise and maintain focus on what matters most so they can continue to thrive despite chaos.

So what can you do to support your leadership team?

Acknowledge the Sh*t Show

The last thing your leaders need is for you to stick your head in the sand or try to gaslight them by pretending everything is fine.

A wise person once said, true leadership is demonstrated when things go wrong.

If the massive contraction across the market is any indication, things have gone terribly wrong. Companies overspent. And now they're overcorrecting. But by and large, consensus about the effort is: It's not working.

So a great way to continue to build trust across your team during this period of uncertainty is to be transparent and candid in your communication.

Acknowledging the reality of the world around you normalizes what they might be feeling, clearing a path for your leaders to reveal their underlying fears, needs, and assumptions. On this basis, you can proactively support them and maintain alignment across your team.

Create Common Language for Checking In

A framework that has been helpful for some of the leaders we work with is the OK Corral. The idea is that when emotions are triggered, people adopt one of three attitudes relating to blame, with each correlating to a position on the OK Corral:

• I’m to blame: You're ok but I’m not ok — ‘helpless’
• You're to blame: I’m ok but you're not ok — ‘angry’
• We're both to blame: I’m not ok and you're not ok — ‘hopeless’

Frankly, none of these positions is particularly helpful or healthy.

The goal is to try and recover quickly after setbacks by pivoting to a fourth position: It’s no one’s fault. Blame isn’t helpful — what matters is how we move forward so we can sort things out.

Essentially: I’m ok AND you're ok — ‘happy’

Let's level-set by clarifying that it's not always possible to get to this ideal outcome. But aligning on the fact that "this is what good looks like" makes all the difference.

Focus on making real contact as opposed to treating check-ins as a tick-boxing exercise.

For more guidance on how to embed real contact in your day-to-day interactions with your team, visit the Featured Section of my profile for a 2-minute video on this critical high performance strategy.

Leverage Peer Insights

Our recent Thrive in Chaos? Breakfast Event created a safe space for senior executives in the DMV to connect, collaborate and go below the surface. In the room, we had leaders from MuleSoft, Databricks, Google, MSNBC, TEGNA and more.

One of the leaders shared afterwards that they felt rejuvenated by the experience.

In light of the topic, which was focused on maintaining high performance in a layoff or reorganization environment, that's really saying something!

The response was so positive that we're hosting another executive breakfast soon.

Space is limited. Save your seat here.

Create Space for Low Days

Yes, you're an amazing leader. Yes, you're brilliant and thoughtful and a wealth of information. But...you're still human.

So keep this in mind as you engage with your leaders. A bit of grace will go a long way.

And if you're not sure of how best to support them in a given moment, just ask.

Nothing says 'I trust you and believe in you' more than simply asking your leaders what they need to truly thrive.

And then do your best to provide the support requested, clearly spelling out the limits to what you can deliver at this time.

Which of these aspects are you most curious about? Which is most concerning?

Join the conversation! Share your insights and experiences in the comments. You never know how your contribution might inspire reflection or action in others.

About the Author

Ije Jemie Nwabueze Lean Six Sigma, CTI, ORSC, PMI-ACP, CBAP (pronounced 'E-J') is CEO and Founder of NextLevel Strategies, a business transformation consultancy, Team Coaching Head for Dreamcatchers Performance, a mental fitness executive coaching company, and Host of Real Talk: Conversations on Mental Fitness, a podcast for high performing leaders.

As a Lean Six Sigma strategy execution expert, Ije has deep experience in both Fortune 500 and fast-scaling environments across 3 global markets. She serves as a trusted advisor to C-suite executives, managing complex transformational change and building high performing teams from the ground up.

Ije is also an executive and leadership team coach for transformational leaders looking to re-imagine what is possible when navigating big transitions in their personal life, career or business.

If you need support to navigate an urgent challenge, book a no-obligation discovery call.