The pressure brought by Covid-19 is tangible. The right actions to achieve business stabilization and recovery teeter in and out of focus and desperately needed lifelines seem few and far between. Layer in the range of other significant challenges—including widespread civil unrest, a wobbling economy and an increasingly divided political climate—and we can see the makings of a perfect storm. For many leaders, each week comes to a close with both a welcomed sigh of relief and a slogging feeling of exhaustion.
Recently, a CEO client described what their typical weekend is like: “Friday evenings I feel liberated from the responsibility of decisions and the fatigue of uncertainty. I don’t have to be inspiring or motivating, and I can think again. I spend my Saturdays regathering my confidence, doing my best to convince myself that everything is going to be fine and that I’ve ‘got’ this. Then Sunday happens. That’s the day I spend dodging the anxiety that creeps in around 3:00 in the afternoon and I begin bracing myself for the heaviness of the week ahead.”
Maybe you experience something similar. While some weeks might float by with relative ease, others drag on with each day bringing new challenges that are increasingly more complicated and ever more demanding of our time, energy and resilience—three leadership imperatives that, especially now, must be carefully guarded as you lead the way to a new, more viable future.
As you consider the weeks and months ahead, consider the following practices to help ease your way:
- Listen to your values
- Know your defaults
- Expect your best
Listen to your values
When you find yourself uncertain about a decision or can’t shake that nagging feeling of not knowing what to do next, look no further than your organization’s core values for the clarity and guidance you need to keep moving. You may be grappling with the impact of consequential decisions you know you need to make. Decisions like laying off or furloughing team members, discontinuing certain services or even shuttering your business altogether. Big decisions that are both scary and messy—the kind many leaders would rather avoid and, instead, choose hoping for a better day over the pain of taking action.
So often, we overlook the great wisdom and utility our values provide us as leaders. Even in the best of times, we might remember dismissing them as the soft stuff or too touchy-feely to take seriously. In times of crises, we’re reminded that our values are the only true source of stability in the midst of the all churn whirling around us—and within us. In fact, our values are immune to the churn and they’re not distracted by uncertainty. They speak the truth and have the power to tell us what to do and how to do it. All a leader has to do is listen.
Know your defaults
When we’re tired or stressed or feeling overwhelmed, we naturally begin to gravitate to a lower level of thinking and behaving. We begin leading from our default mode, which is a well-worn and familiar pattern of reaction, wherein we’re working harder to defend and protect ourselves rather than lean in and engage productively with our team. Some might default to scorekeeping or micromanaging, while others withdraw entirely or become aggressive and punitive. The point is, we all have our defaults. And none are helpful.
The stresses around us at this moment are real and they’re heavy. They seek to pull us down and hold us in place, rather than inspire and propel us forward. Many leaders might find themselves wondering, especially at the end of one those long, exhausting weeks, “What’s wrong with me?” or “Why is everyone against me?” Questions like these are sending a clear signal that your current mindset isn’t working for you. This is a wake-up call and it’s time to pull yourself out of freefall and begin moving back toward what you know makes you strong and effective as a leader.
With careful self-management, we can stop the slide before it becomes uncontrollable. We can recognize the signs of our default patterns as they surface and take steps to find a clearer head and a more balanced view of the situation. This takes self-control and the willingness to step away, if only for a moment, to reflect or ask for feedback from a trusted colleague who will tell you the truth. Listen to what you hear.
Expect your best
In his book, The Four Agreements, author Don Miguel Ruiz said it well, “Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.”
At any given moment the best we can give is just that—the best we can give. And yet our best may not be enough for those we lead. They may want—or need—something different or more than we’re capable of giving, even though we’re giving it our all and doing all that we can. This is a hard truth, but, for every leader, one worth accepting. To be clear, accepting this should not be seen as a personal surrender or a failure to lead. It’s actually quite the opposite. Accepting it is liberating for a leader, giving them the focus and the energy they need to keep moving.
The pandemic has forced some significant decisions for all leaders. Some you may have taken action on, while others may continue to linger, waiting for you to make the call. Some decisions you make will not be popular and will cause discomfort and dissatisfaction. But this doesn’t mean the decisions were wrong or you’re a bad leader for having made them. It means you’re showing up and you’re doing the best you can, given some very challenging circumstances.
Though your closest friends and trusted advisors can remind you of when they’ve seen you at your best, only you can determine and hold yourself accountable to what your best truly is. Choosing to lead with the best of intentions is the most any leader can do at any given moment. Doing your best today will make it possible to do even better tomorrow.
As you plan for the months ahead and continue doing the hard work of leading the way for your people, you can ease the way by letting your values give the guidance you need to make the hard decisions that lie ahead, by recognizing when your defaults are pulling you down, and simply expecting, and holding yourself accountable to doing, and being, your best.
Do these things and the weeks that pass won’t seem quite so heavy. And though you may feel drained at the end of each one, you’ll be also be energized by the progress you’re making and the future you’re creating.