Your People Need Two Things Right Now

For centuries, philosophers, sociologists, and scientists have attempted to identify the essential traits shared by successful leaders. I'm not going to enter that debate in the day and age of the coronavirus. Many books will be written about what leaders did well and what they royally screwed up.  

What I do know is that your people need these two things right now.  

1. Communicate your honest company story.

Gallup reports that only 13% of employees believe that their leaders communicate well with the rest of the company. About the same percentage of workers feel enthusiastic about their company's future. The best way to inspire these unenthusiastic employees, Gallup says, is to share your leadership story. This is a narrative that depicts your vision for the organization's future compared to where it is now — and explains how your team will help you get there. Share your company story often, not just at town halls. During this crisis, send daily emails about what is happening, why it matters to you, and who has helped move the needle toward company goals. Reach out to your internal influencer daily to take the pulse of your teams. They can help you figure out what they need to be successful. 

Were your sales numbers this week? Are you going through some tricky leadership and staffing transitions? Don't leave those plot points out of your narrative. Show how they're affecting the company overall. Share your analysis on these challenges, as well as how you will try to overcome them. "It's important for leaders to tell their true, transparent story," notes Steve Robertson, CEO at Julian Krinsky Camps & Programs. "It's not just for the external person. As you tell those stories, you define your culture internally, and your team begins to espouse the values that matter to you and to your business." How your narrative frames the hardships you're facing will influence how your team responds to the challenges. Reach out to your internal influencer daily to take the pulse of your teams. They can help you figure out what they need to be successful. 

2. Pull people up and over the wall.

"Effective leaders are determined and don't give up easily when resistance and opposition appear. They use their vision to help others rise above adversity, setbacks, and even failures," says Preston Pond, co-founder of the Center for Organizational Design. Consider your subordinates at work. Which ones are stuck and missing out on opportunities to explore their skills? Who is struggling with this new reality we are all facing. They deserve your extended hand and assistance to fulfill their true potential. Start by uncovering their strengths and interests, and then figure out what projects could take advantage of their skills. Be the person who believes in fellow team members enough to tell them they deserve to thrive and be successful. More than ever, they need you to extend a hand and pull them over the wall as they try and figure out how to navigate this new world. 

Leaders who step up and help their people through this crisis will be the companies that bounce back when this is over. 

Starting this Friday, we'll be launching a 45-minute Courageous Chat on Zoom. 

No doubt. 

It is a trying time. 

Now more than ever, your team needs you.

Perhaps your team is your coworkers, your community, or your family. And what that group truly needs from you is calm, clarity, and leadership.

But are you surrounding yourself with the proper support system YOU need now?

If you're like us, perhaps you need a place to interact. 

A place to turn where you can engage with like-minded thinkers. 

A place to learn what others are doing right now to lead their teams (or themselves). 

In this new normal of social distancing, we could all benefit from more human interaction.

Join our call today! 

We'll be discussing a range of topics (Leadership, Marketing, Business), including, naturally, current events. 

In this first "Action Chat", we'll be joined by Trauma Doctor Ted Lin, who warned that COVID-19 not to be taken lightly. In the first half of the chat, Ted will share a real-time report of what he's hearing. He'll respond to questions you may have, which you can share in the chatbox. We'll also open up the floor to the group to hear what some attendees see from their city. If you prefer to just listen, that's okay. We'll have participants joining (and sharing) from California to Colorado to Sao Paulo. Join us.

If we've learned anything this month, it's that we need to take action in building a community.

If you'd like to be part of this Action Chat on Zoom (spots are limited), 

Sign up here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/courageous-action-chats-tickets-100296320996

Stay Courageous,

Ryan Berman + Rhett Power 

New LinkedIn Live Series.

This is a unique live series called Quarantine Conversations that will run weekly to help you better lead your organization through this crisis. This week's panel. Edy Greenblatt, PhD, PCC is a resilience pioneer and work/life balance expert. Edy has been recognized as the world's #1 Resilience Coach and is an award-winning author of Restore Yourself. Sharon Melnick, Ph.D., is a global authority on women's next-level leadership. A business psychologist, Sharon, is author of the bestselling book, "Success Under Stress. Louis Carter is the founder and CEO of Best Practice Institute. An organizational psychologist and top advisor to C-level executives of Fortune 1000 companies.

Rhett Power was recently named the 2018 Best Small Business Coach in the U.S., joined Marshall Goldsmith's 100 Coaches, and was named the #1 Thought Leader on Entrepreneurship by Thinkers360. He is CEO of Power Coaching and Consulting in Washington, DC, and hosts Power Lunch Live, one of the most popular business talk shows on LinkedIn's live platform. Check out his fantastic line up of guests and listen to past episodes at www.powerlunch.live.

If you enjoyed this article, here are a few other ways to connect with Rhett. You can read his regular columns on Inc. Magazine, Forbes, and Thrive Global. For speaking and coaching inquiries, please email [email protected].

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