The Balancing Act - Managing our own emotions and leading others through theirs
As you’ve heard me start talking about more recently, leadership is an endurance sport, and we need to treat it like this vs. a sprint. Part of that endurance is finding ways to manage our heavy emotions during a crisis because we’re not just responsible for ourselves. We have an obligation to show up and lead others - our families, our communities, our teams, and our organizations - while we deal with our own feelings.
Over the past 20+ years, leaders have been challenged with managing their emotions and reactions during crises (9-11, the pandemic, etc.) and divisive events (October 7th, George Floyd, election results, etc.) while continuing to show up and lead their teams and organizations through the challenging moments.
For those of you leading teams this week in the US, you were likely responsible for balancing the day-to-day needs of the business along with the reactions, both positive and negative, to the election results. Depending on the organizations you lead or are part of, you may also be weighing the impacts on your key customers or stakeholders.
I don’t have the miracle strategies to make the role easier during difficult times, but here’s what I know to be true:
✔️Putting your own oxygen mask on first is critical for being able to navigate through challenging times.
✔️Tapping into the support structures that allow you to talk about your concerns and emotions will help you to not feel alone and to be able to show up for others.
✔️Acknowledging the situation and the potential emotions of the people you lead with empathy is critical so your team feels seen.
✔️Depending on the situation and your comfort level, sharing how you are working through your reactions may be helpful for your team to understand.
✔️Don’t avoid addressing what’s going on. Ignoring that people may be having a challenging time staying fully focused and present on the day-to-day work is being tone-deaf. Your role is to be a human-centric leader and to acknowledge the realities.
This week has been difficult for many, including me, while some are celebrating and some are agnostic to the outcomes. We each get to process our reactions to the election results in our own way. But, as leaders, it’s our job to stay curious, hopeful, empathetic, and focused on bringing our teams together so they can do amazing work.
Whatever you are feeling as we head into this weekend, I hope you feel seen. If I can support you, please reach out.
Making sure you have a strategy in place for how you want to lead yourself, your team, and your organization is key.
Let's get you back on track together. Schedule a 90-minute strategy session with me.