Leading in Times of Crisis - Jedrek's Perspective
Being a leader in times of crisis is one of the hardest things to do. You get questioned for everything you do and it is never good enough or accepted by all. During these trying times, we would like to take these six minutes of your time to give you my two cents about our approach to being a leader in times of change.
Let's use sports as an analogy since it is something most people can relate to. In the NBA there is a move called the ‘EURO STEP’ and it was made popular by a player named Manu Ginobili. Really what it is, is when you’re going in for a layup (literally you just lay the ball into the basket) and the defender is coming at you. You pivot to the other foot. You only cut down your momentum slightly but you don't change your direction. So, what I mean with this is that during times of crisis you don't have to completely change your style and/or goals as a company or organization. Just adapt to it.
Let's try to make it more personal. I get told a lot of times that I remain extremely calm under pressure or that nothing bothers me. The truth is my mind is always working overtime and I just apply a simple 5 step plan we all at D&I believe in, into every challenge that I encounter.
Step 1. Own it.
It happened. It is not a bad dream. It is what it is, getting angry or sad about it won't change a damn thing. So you just have to own the situation for what is.
Step 2. Own it and then what?
Ok, now that you’ve owned it ask yourself; what’s the best near term outcome?
Step 3. Time to take control
What is something that you can do that you don’t need anyone else’s permission or help to do so you can reach the best possible outcome?
Step 4. Take the road.
Who do you need to reach out to get that outcome? What are the tools that you will need to reach that outcome?
Step 5. At last, take response-ability
Given these steps, what are you going to do now? I know it may sound easy but it takes some time to get it all under control but you have to start somewhere! In times of crisis and change I think if you follow these 5 steps, you can then pivot. Because I think that’s what we all need to do, we need to turn panic into pivoting.
When you start pivoting, there is still a long way to go as a leader, you can not do anything alone, you will need your team around you and they are also going through the crisis so always remember these 4 points;
Connect to your “why.” To move forward, you have to understand what motivates you. Who are you? What are you committed to? What is your ultimate goal?
Ask “really?” three times. To get to the bottom of an issue and determine what’s affecting people, don’t stop at their first response, keep asking so you can fully understand their thoughts and feelings.
Create space for others. Give people the time and emotional space to work through their concerns. One useful approach is to ask them to share a story of another time when they were facing a challenge, and how they got through it.
You are not perfect. It’s okay to admit you’re wrong, in some ways, it’s more freeing than being right. Apologize to the person you were wrong too, and share what you’ll do next so that the problem doesn’t reoccur.
These are my two cents on how to make the best out of a crisis while being in a leadership position.
