Happy new year everyone! Long time, no blog… My consulting practice and volunteer director work has shifted more to governance in the past year. I also traveled and spent a lot of time in the woods (literally, not figuratively!). I will provide an update shortly on current trends in Ontario employment standards and common law, but decided to make this piece a little more personal as we think about and set targets for the new year.
Out of interest in the topic, I’m in the process of obtaining ESG certification through Competent Boards, an online program based in Europe but including US and Canadian speakers. Europe is miles ahead of the rest of the world in climate and other forms of ESG action and regulation, but helping set the bar in the global economy.
I’m currently learning about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) from the UN, ratified in 2015 by 193 countries with a 2030 target.
When we read or listen to the news and some politicians on this side of the pond (ocean), it sounds like engaging in practices to stabilize carbon emissions, save the oceans and forests, reduce global and local poverty and food insecurity etc. is not economically viable and needs to be delayed. But data is indicating that investing and engaging in these practices is making companies more profitable. And many experts are indicating that delay on the environment is no longer possible if the world is to avert further climate crisis and related fallout.
I sometimes get discouraged by the news, or discussions with people who are skeptical about climate change or “woke” policies. But it has been encouraging and inspiring to me to take this course, to attend an ESG data conference in Toronto this past fall, and to hear about the many startup organizations at MaRS, where my sister works. There is a lot of activity happening behind the scenes by people who are not taking up all the airwaves, but doing good work for the betterment of the world or society, some for profit, some not.
Contrary to what we might see or hear on the news, the global economy is focusing more time, energy, and financial investment on environmental and social goals and initiatives. That is a train that organizations who want to continue to attract talent, customers and perhaps even funding don’t want to miss, as more investors and financial institutions are looking more closely at and requiring sustainable and equitable business practices before committing financial support.
The ESG course challenges participants to consider whether their organization is part of the problem (in which case what can they change or improve?) or part of the solution (in which case how can they gain more funding, partnership and/or scale?).
Call to Action:
If I could wish for one thing for the coming year, besides world peace (literally, not figuratively), it would be for everyone to reflect, on an individual and organizational level, what they can do or contribute to environmental and/or social concerns.
If you are an employee, what idea can you share, or how can you respectfully challenge your employer to change or improve a business or operating practice to make it more sustainable, or perhaps support greater equity or inclusion in the workplace? If there isn’t an opportunity in the workplace, is there an organization you can make a difference with by volunteering your time and expertise to a cause you feel passionate about?
If you are an employer or entrepreneur, how can you challenge yourself to improve as a leader or manager in guiding or supporting these types of goals, and how will you measure and track success of these goals, ideally created in collaboration with relevant stakeholders?
Food for thought as we embark on 2024… Wishing everyone, a happier, healthier, safer, and more prosperous new year.
The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) targeted for 2030:
A few weeks ago, a university friend posted a link to a video of Hal Johnson describing discrimination against him at TSN, leading him to create Body Break. Mr. Johnson was candid about his experiences, but not bitter. It’s been one of many interviews I’ve watched in the last few weeks of black Canadians sharing their own personal stories of discrimination in the workplace, and what they’ve tried to do to overcome it, while suffering in silence. It’s been very moving and humbling, to say the least.
I commented on my friend’s post that I admired Hal’s resolve and positivity, and that he turned unfair treatment into a positive contribution in ways he may not have planned for or foreseen, including normalizing bi-racial couples. My friend’s point was that he shouldn’t have been disadvantaged at work in the first place because of his skin tone. I was seeking the bright side, as Hal seemed to be, but he’s of course right about that.
This story made me reflect on the many work environments, especially in the ‘80s and ‘90s, with virtually no minorities or female representation in leadership roles (still the case in many organizations unfortunately), and pretty rampant harassment and discrimination, cloaked in jokes and practices which were acceptable then. It was “just how it was” and few or no options for greener grass if you challenged or left it.
There was very little to no challenging or complaining by anyone those days, at least less than now. Most people kept their stories and feelings to themselves or close friends. It was the context of work at the time, which enabled a lot of bad behaviour that would be considered unacceptable now under many office policies and employment laws.
Upon further reflection, I’m sure there were times in my career that I benefited from being a white female, and other times that was a disadvantage. Overall though, I acknowledge the privilege of being a white female, now more than ever. I worked hard and put myself through university and law school, but appreciate now that those jobs would probably not have been available to a BIPOC, looking back on those work environments at the time.
I moved to Kentucky with my mother and stepfather as I was entering grade 3,and grew up in Lexington, a relatively affluent and educated city, until sophomore year at University of Kentucky, then moved back to Canada and transferred to University of Western Ontario to complete my undergraduate degree. My family was middle class but there were no black people in my neighbourhood or school. All the black people lived in another part of town. It was evident. No one spoke about it. It was just how it was.
I was assigned a black roommate on campus first year at UK. She was from Louisville. We got along well, laughed a lot, but she hung out with her black friends, and I hung out with my white ones. She joined a black sorority, and I joined a white one. They were segregated, and had different recruitment (“rush”) times of year. We never spoke about it. It was just how it was. I remember wanting to have a joint party of her sorority and mine, and my boyfriend’s fraternity and her boyfriend’s fraternity, which seemed mirrored to each other. We never spoke about it, and I moved to Canada. Opportunity missed.
I lived with this girl for 8 months, and have no idea if (i.e., how many times) she felt discriminated against at school or shopping or walking down the street. To me, she had no cares in the world. She was always laughing, joking, and carried herself with such confidence, way more than I felt about myself. I admired her. It never occurred to me that she may have been hiding some pain. We got along great, but we didn’t ask each other a lot of questions. It was mostly banter about the day to day, classes, boys. I didn’t know or have the confidence to ask her if she experienced any racial injustices, and she wasn’t forthcoming on the topic. She did not appear to need an ally, but not knowing her better is another missed opportunity. I suppose I kept my cards close to my chest too, but that’s another story…
When I came to Canada, especially Toronto, it was a whole new world, that seemed so much more inclusive and progressive. Towns, schools and workplaces were much more integrated. Everyone peacefully co-exists, and even hangs out together! I love living here, the diversity, the vibrancy, the tolerance and sense of community and belonging. This is how it should be! Right? Well, not entirely.
I still think Canada is the best, but it is not without flaws. Some have known, and some are now learning, that it’s not perfectly equitable. Relatively good, or better than it was, is not enough. There has been progress, but systems and practices and mindsets (many unconscious) are still in place that hinder historically oppressed or disadvantaged groups. There is lots of room for improvement.
Fortunately, in this province and country we have a Human Rights Code supporting protected groups who have been disadvantaged, and a court system that favours the less advantaged (employee) in the workplace power imbalance. There is also the court of public opinion, reputation and brand. Companies are coming to realize that news travels fast via internet and social media, and how leadership and management treat people can come back as loyalty, new sales – or to bite them, in both a business and recruitment sense.
At least in corporate settings, I’ve seen many shifts and steps towards education and more diverse and inclusive representation in many workplaces. There is less tolerance of harassment and discrimination, and more proactivity to prevent it. We can’t change the past, but we can continue to strive to educate ourselves, do better and teach the others to do better than we did – and let others teach us.
It’s a watershed moment with a more collective conscience and momentum now, an inspiring time. It is also a good time to ask yourself if you want to be part of these positive changes, or sit on the sidelines.
This River I Step In, Is Not The River I Stand In – Heraclitus proverb on Riverside Bridge, Toronto
The attention on black racism right now is much needed, and also bringing up a lot of pain for people who have been historically disadvantaged, including Indigenous, LGBTQ+ and people of colour. We need to allow people space to feel it, express it, release it, then work together to make the changes that are needed.
I have heard on more than one occasion since the public execution of George Floyd and recent Black Lives Matter movements, right here in Toronto, the that no one at “the office” is asking how they are doing, whether managers, HR or even colleagues. This is causing them more pain.
I also know there is a lot of fear of misstep, of doing or saying the wrong thing.
Recently, I facilitated an employment law refresher with a white and Asian executive team. Topics included interview pitfalls and micro-aggressions – e.g., well-meaning comments or jokes, even compliments, that inadvertently offend individuals or groups, typically by reinforcing negative stereotypes. As usual, managers and leaders are afraid to say anything to anyone after one of these sessions, which I don’t mind. Awareness has been raised, and hopefully more caution and clearer communications will result.
What I’m hearing from black friends and colleagues is don’t be silent; reach out, be available, try, and assume you will mess up. Be open to learning a different perspective than what you thought you knew.
What this translates to for leaders and colleagues is have the conversations, listen, be humble. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Learn from someone else’s experience. Leaders can also offer EAP benefits for those who need further counseling or confidential advice.
Supporting/encouraging a multi-racial diversity & inclusion (D&I) committee can also be a great step in some environments, where members can feel safe to share experiences, educate others in the organization, and share concerns as well as proposed ideas and solutions with management for creating greater equity in the organization. Manage committee expectations that not all requests may be adopted immediately, but there is receptivity to new ideas, processes and structures, and a willingness to dialogue. It is important as well to ask for volunteers, but not appoint staff to serve on this committee. You want to avoid burdening marginalized staff with additional unwanted unpaid service. Best to encourage volunteers who are passionate about the message, who want to make this contribution to the organization and their colleagues. Alternatively, you can hire a paid consultant with expertise and lived experience in a disadvantaged group to engage with your staff and management for custom training or other program.
There is no better time than now to be a Servant-Leader, or take on some of those qualities.* Be a trusted person to come to, to confide in. Find out what your staff need from you in order for them to be successful at the plan you designed or agreed to, remove obstacles, coach and mentor, and get out of their way – as long as they are aligned with your strategy (unless you need a new strategy)! This is good for business performance and morale.
Hopefully you got your team’s input on your strategy, and everyone is bought into the overall goal. Giving staff some leeway how they get there, combined with clear expectations for performance and results, can be the most effective way to innovate and pivot as circumstances or information changes. If there is one thing we can count on going forward, it’s change and uncertainty!
Allow your teams to innovate how they work, to find efficiencies, to provide upward feedback, to develop new products or services that meet the needs of your clients and customers they are face to face (mask to mask) with. If you are pivoting more to online, and customers are telling your account or client service reps that your user interface is cumbersome to use, or has only white people in the pictures, you’re probably losing business from that. If your staff suggest a new or improved health & safety protective measure, that’s valuable feedback too. Taking the advice from your front lines and acting on it is a great way to show you care about your staff and customers.
It’s important now more than ever to listen more than talk, and invite others to take the floor too. Give space to learn, grow, evolve.
Take a good look as well, if you don’t have a very diverse team, why is that? You may want to take a closer look at your recruitment and retention practices. It makes a difference who is representing you on campus and on interview panels, and screening your applications.
This may also be a good time to conduct an anonymous staff engagement or feedback survey, which can give you valuable insights about how staff perceive things like their jobs, workplaces, management, colleagues, culture, diversity, training and organizational effectiveness. I can help manage this, present results, and facilitate action planning.
Please contact me if you would like to discuss any of the above, or any HR solutions or advice I may be able to offer.
Good luck, keep safe, and keep the lines of communication open.
Our governments are starting to share plans for reopening our economy and other aspects of our lives. This is welcome news as we wait in limbo for when work, home, family and social life can go back to some semblance of normal. It remains to be seen what changes may become more permanent, whether imposed or by choice.
Several weeks in now, looking back, we can begin to process the absolute tsunami of change we’ve been living through due to COVID-19, and start to plan for what’s still to come.
It’s been reminding me a lot of change management principles I’ve studied and taught, particularly William Bridges’ Transition Management model, published in his 1991 book “Managing Transitions.” This model focuses on the internal reactions people have to changes in their organization. It’s typically used in the context of M&A or project management, but it certainly applies to this situation we are going through in our organizations and otherwise in recent weeks.
The Bridges’ Transition Model identifies the 3 stages individuals experience during change: Ending What Currently Is, The Neutral Zone and The New Beginning.
Bridges Transition Model
This in-between phase we find ourselves in now would be called “The Neutral Zone” in the Bridges Transition model. It is a very uncomfortable place for some, and a favourite of others. I personally like it, so I wanted to shed some light on it and share some strategies to help you get through it, whether you’re managing yourself or others.
What is the difference between change and transition?
Change is an external event or situation that takes place: a new business strategy, new leadership, a merger, a new product. In this case, a pandemic and its resulting fallout… Change can happen very quickly. Many people are uncomfortable with change, for all sorts of reasons, which can lead them to resist it. Empathetic leaders recognize that change can put people in crisis, and help guide them through it.
Transition is the psychological process that people go through as they accept and come to terms with the change or new situation, and can take a much longer time. Change can be more successful if leaders and organizations acknowledge the transition that people experience, and support them through it. This is key to capitalizing on opportunities for innovation, and creating organizational resilience.
Managing the stages of transition
Stage 1: Endings
This first phase of transition begins with an ending, when people identify what they are losing and learn how to manage these losses. They determine what is over and being left behind, and what they will keep. These may include relationships, processes, team members or locations. This stage may involve many emotions similar to grief, including fear, loss, denial, anger, sadness etc.
People often fear the unknown, so the more leaders listen, communication and educate staff about a positive future, and how their knowledge and skills are an essential part of getting there, the likelier they are to move on to the next stage. You may also offer support (e.g., training and resources) to help them work effectively in the new environment.
Stage 2: Neutral Zone
The second step of transition is an in-between time when the old is gone but the new isn’t fully operational, or perhaps even fully conceived yet. It is when the critical psychological realignments take place, between the old reality and sense of identity and the new one.
As this phase is the bridge between the old and the new, some people will still be attached to old roles and processes, while some are trying to figure out or adapt to the new. They are in flux and may feel some confusion and distress. Some may experience resentment, resistance, low morale, low productivity or anxiety about their role or status in the organization.
This stage can also be one of great creativity, innovation, and renewal. This is a great time to encourage people to try new ways of thinking or working. You may engage them to contribute ideas for how to improve internal processes, and even the products or services you provide.
Leadership and guidance is especially important as people go through this neutral period, as it is the foundation for new beginnings. It can seem unproductive and scary at times. Because people might feel a bit lost, provide them with a sense of direction. Remind them of team goals, and encourage them to talk about their ideas, challenges and what they’re feeling.
Other key leadership/management tactics for this stage include:
Frequent touchpoints and feedback on performance, especially regarding the transition
Setting short-term goals
Celebrating quick wins, recognizing contributions and other steps to boost morale
Help people manage their workloads, de-prioritizing some types of work, bringing in additional resources
Stage 3: New Beginnings
The last transition stage is the reward. People have begun to embrace the change. They’re building the skills they need to work successfully in the new way, and they’re starting to see early wins from their efforts. There is energy in a new direction – an expression of a fresh identity.
Well-managed transitions allow people to establish new roles with an understanding of their purpose, the part they play, and how to contribute and participate most effectively. As a result, they feel reoriented, renewed and committed to the organization and their role.
The transition management process
Bridges says that people will go through each stage at their own pace. Those who are comfortable with change are more likely to move ahead more quickly to stage 3, while others may linger at stages 1 or 2.
Successful transition management includes these steps:
Communicating with the organization about the change coming and why.
Collecting information from those affected to understand its impact on them, and gaining their investment in the outcome. (I would suggest getting them involved in the idea-generating process early on and ongoing – as they may have the best ideas and solutions that will aid in change implementation)
Educating people leaders about how to manage staff during the transition effectively
Helping staff understand how they can positively contribute to the change and the importance of their role in the organization.
Celebrating success(es)
There may be occasional setbacks as you manage your transitions. Don’t get discouraged. Having a plan, with some fluidity to react to unforeseen circumstances, is probably the best approach to lead yourself, your business and teams through this unpredictable, yet manageable, future.
Feel free to contact me if I can assist in any way.
“The essence of life takes place in the neutral zone phase of transition. It is in that interim spaciousness that all possibilities, creativity and innovative ideas can come to life and flourish.” — Susan Bridges
Besides the Bridges Transition site, I used Mind Tools to research this article and have used it in the past. Mind Tools is an affordable, subscription based, online management learning site with practical, bite-size resources and a free newsletter.
Businesses who have found a way to adapt to the change in circumstances, and have staff working remotely, or on-site with appropriate health and safety measures, face a new set of challenges. These may include things like how to lead from a distance, and how to help staff who may be struggling with new work arrangements, reduced pay, stresses at home etc.
It is tough on everyone to have so many restrictions suddenly imposed, and our typical ways of living and working, socializing and networking, drastically changed. There wasn’t much time to prepare, causing stress for both leaders and employees.
In a recent webinar on Building Resilience offered by Rotman School of Management, Julie McCarthy, Professor in Organizational Behaviour at U of T, reported that pre-Covid 19 research indicated that everyday stress at work was 58%, and would now definitely be higher due to the sense of ongoing uncertainty and lack of control.
The overall message from the webinar was control what you can, to the degree you can. Areas covered included time, energy, autonomy, and interruptions. Here were some examples:
Keep up healthy habits – e.g., sleep, nutrition, exercise routines.
Interpersonal connections – e.g., chat times, help family and neighbours, discuss shared experience.
Care and concern for self and others builds energy, immunity and speeds recovery.
Engage in activities you enjoy. Clear your mind. Relax. Minimize news. Mentally detach every day.
Some cautions:
Be aware of “emotional contagion”. Happy or negative messages or energy can spread quickly. As a leader, set the tone at the start of the meeting. Stay calm and positive to minimize your and others’ stress. Let others voice their concerns and challenges, one to one or in a group setting. Be empathetic, but try to stem any continued focus on the negative. That becomes rumination which can be detrimental. Some may benefit from speaking to a professional counsellor for additional support.*
Videoconferencing has emerged as a popular mode of communication for team calls. A challenge here is additional pressure to manage expressions and emotions. Be careful not to overburden people with too many videoconferences. Mix in phone calls etc.
Co-presenter, Professor John Trougakos, gave shared research and suggestions on controlling time to reduce anxiety, increase productivity and feel more motivated to work when faced with different circumstances, distractions, feelings etc.:
Focus on autonomy. Make choices, plan for the day/week. Create boundaries around space (e.g. tape, signs on door, baby gate!) and optimal times and ways to work.
Do your best, and be patient with it not being perfect.
Try to minimize interruptions. Consider “re-start cost” – it takes 15-20 mins to get back to where you were when concentrating.
Do one task at a time. Most are not good at multi-tasking, and don’t get better with practice…
Schedule and take breaks when needed – micro (get up and stretch) to longer breaks. The average amount of high productivity is 90 minutes. Then a 15-20 minute break is ideal. Top performers work in 52-minute bursts, then break for 17 minutes, on average.
Do high value tasks at your peak time, which is morning for most. Take a lunch break. Do more routine tasks after lunch.
Leaders should create a supportive culture for breaks and recovery. Think of the Raptors “load management” strategy for peak effectiveness when needed.
Manage expectations, celebrate wins and successes a team. Share creative ideas.
These are excellent coping strategies for leaders and employees to get through this period of disruption and uncertainty.
It is essential for leaders to recognize that most of their staff, admittedly or not, are having moments of fear and uncertainty, and dealing with new personal and professional demands during this time, some more than others. It may be valuable as well for leaders to be transparent about their own concerns, but empathy and support for staff, on both a broad and one to one scale, are characteristics needed now more than ever. That should, in turn, be rewarded by higher degrees of trust and productivity.
The good news is we are all going through this together, and can learn from each other and grow our businesses and individually in new and unexpected directions. Hope you’re keeping well and finding some silver linings in the clouds.
Some of my clients and I’m sure other businesses, especially small ones, are feeling quite overwhelmed or confused about what to do and how to weather this COVID-19 storm. So this is an attempt to assimilate the massive influx of information, and to package together some useful recommendations and credible resources.
The last few days of shut-downs and announcements have been alarming, a relief to some and an over-reaction to others, especially while most of us are asymptomatic. The virus has a 14-day incubation period (hence the quarantine and self-isolation periods) and public health officials are telling us we all play a role in delaying community spread, as long as possible. In other words, to flatten the curve (i.e., let’s try to avoid what happened in Italy: the complete overburdening of the medical system there due to the rapid spread and spike in cases needing treatment…). It’s a tricky balance to prepare, not alarm people, so everyone can take necessary steps.
Staying home and limiting interpersonal contact for an undetermined period is challenging for all, including small businesses with limited resources. The government is promising financial help, but the facts and timing are not yet clear. Meantime, many business owners are looking at ranges of options from credit/cashflow financing to pay/hours cuts to potential layoffs, trying anything they can to keep their ships afloat. This also provides an opportunity to creatively improvise and innovate how you support and interact with your staff and customers...
Engage
your team in brainstorming and problem-solving these questions:
How can you
adapt your service offerings to accommodate this situation and client needs?
What internal
and client meetings and tasks can be done with more physical separation,
online, on the phone or by videoconference, vs in-person or cancelled?
What technology
and processes do you have or need to put in place to support this?
Where can you
maintain productivity, cut some slack, keep everyone connected and even make
this very difficult and challenging situation fun and stress-relieving for
people?
Who from your
team can you enlist – or wants to help – with these items?
Plans,
policies, practices:
If you don’t have a COVID-19 policy or communications prepared, including workplace etiquette and hygiene, self-isolation and quarantine policies and other expectations, you should have one, consistent with and customized to your existing policies and practices.
If you don’t have a work-from-home policy, you now probably need one, at least on an interim basis.
If you don’t have paid sick days, you may want to consider implementing them, if you can afford it. Alternatively, the Canadian government has announced that it has eliminated the waiting period for EI to relieve some of this burden. It also has an application-based Work Sharing program, which may allow some employers to avoid layoffs resulting from COVID-19.
Ontario public health officials are now indicating that employers should not be requesting doctor’s notes for COVID-19 related time off work, because it may place an undue burden on medical professionals (i.e., they’re busy dealing with the influx of cases). If your employee offers to provide a doctor’s note to substantiate medical time off for COVID-19 or anything else, ask them to scan and email it from home (if they have that capability), not bring it in while they’re sick.
If you don’t have a pandemic or business continuity plan, make a record of all the things you may need to deal with – including staff, clients, suppliers, technology etc. – that you’re now or maybe soon figuring out on the fly! (And once all this is over, go back and put a proactive business continuity plan and supports in place for the next time.)
Please contact me if you need help creating or updating your policies or staff communications. Please also share your ideas, resources and experiences – what’s working and what’s needed.
Remember, this
too shall pass… Your staff, clients,
partners and others will appreciate your leadership in the interests of their
and everyone’s welfare, which should pay off in the long run. Stay safe and well!
Links
to Public Health, Government and other Resources:
Since my
last (first!) blog on February 14th, we’ve gone from preparing for COVID-19
to nearing the eye of the storm here in Canada.
For some, like China and Italy, hopefully the worst has passed. We have been able to learn from their
experience. But the storm has now been
declared a pandemic. It is moving around
the globe, and knocking at our doors. How much do we let it in?
Storm
survival:
I moved to the beautiful island of Bermuda in mid-August, 2003. Two weeks later, a photo of a giant swirling cloud, Hurricane Fabian, appeared on the cover of The Royal Gazette. It was predicted to be category 5, one of the worst in the island’s history, and approaching the island within days. Terrifying! What did I get myself into here? But I’d made the commitment to be there, so after some fretting (on my part), my partner and I got practical and prepared.
We took local
advice from those who’d been through hurricanes and tropical storms before, got
a *reasonable amount* of supplies (water, batteries, non-perishables, playing
cards, toilet paper and red wine!) and hunkered down.
When Fabian
actually hit, it was pretty terrifying. The power went out as it drew closer,
so we passed the evening playing cards by candle light and then tried to sleep
over the intense rattling of the doors and shutters, wondering if they would hold,
what would happen. The fear was mostly
due to the unknown and when it would be over.
The next
day was sunny and calm. The foliage was
mostly gone, or splintered and sprayed across nearby surfaces. Our privacy was gone, but hey, we could wave
to the neighbours! Thankfully, everyone
was ok. We got through it.
Fabian
passed through at category 4. It was
serious. There were 4 casualties in
total, $300 million in damage, several roofs blown off, and the power was down
for a while. It was significant and took
time to rebuild, but could have been WAY worse, depending partly on nature, and
partly on people’s behaviour, past and current.
The island
had learned from history. It had
improved its infrastructure, almost all buildings were made from cedar block,
not wood, most windows had shutters, and most people stayed home and calm and
weren’t cavalier about the situation.
Reactions
to crises:
Like COVID
19 (and many other things we’re seeing in the world right now), we knew this
storm was coming, but didn’t know how serious it would be, and how much damage
it would do. That’s the scary part. The internet and 24-hour news cycle can spread
a lot of useful and accurate information quickly. It can also spread a lot of fear and dangerous
misinformation quickly. The good and bad
can go “viral” and spread fast. It’s important
to rely on reliable sources, especially in times like these, and try to stay a
little more physically distant while keeping connected – a little sense of
humour and neighbourliness helps!
We’re
seeing that in crisis situations, some downplay or complain, some take no
action, some over-react, and some take reasonable precautions, hoping for the
best but preparing for the worst. Most
would agree the last approach is the most effective. I also think that most want to be or believe
they are in the last category, but get caught up in worry or denial. That’s totally normal, but not the best place
to stay for too long.
Especially at times of crisis, it’s good to check in with your mindset and coping steps and see if they’re working for you – and your team. We’re all in this together, but if you’re a leader, your team will be looking to you for guidance, direction and in some cases, support. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, do what you need to do to reset. Take a break, walk around the block, exercise, phone a friend, whatever you need to do to get calm and perspective. And ask for help if you need it.
