The last few years have been especially hard on most of us. Heck, normal life without the ramifications of this global economic meltdown was challenging enough. The sad reality is that many people we work with have begun to question their ability to contribute. Maybe we’ve even had those doubts ourselves at times.
Are you hearing and believing any of the following?
As leaders, we often waste too much emotional energy worrying about things we cannot control. The sooner we come to understand what is in our control and what is not, the better decisions we can make and the better we can deal with challenges.
A while back I was reminded by a client of mine about the “3 Bucket” way of thinking. Raymond Gleason, my fellow coach here at Building Champions, first shared this with me years ago, and it can really help us when facing challenging situations.
Over the years I have spent a great deal of time working with leaders on communication challenges stemming from the improper use of email.
I don’t think it is ever a wise idea to work through conflicts and challenges via email. We can’t read tone and too often we take liberties behind the keyboard that we would not take if we were face-to-face or on the phone.
When challenging news hits, do your emotions rise? Does your tone and intensity kick up a notch? Do your actions become more frantic and fast paced?
If so, you are probably making the situation worse.
When you are a leader, the people around you will mirror your response. In a time of crisis, you must have the best thinking from everyone.
