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.

Leaders need to be a calming force in the face of challenges. We must be aware of our breathing, our thinking, and our physical mannerisms. If we feel the Incredible Hulk beginning to take over, we must do what is needed to chill out. Take a walk or go for a run. Spend a few moments in prayer or silent meditation. Get yourself to a calmer state.

Now that you have calmed yourself and are thinking with clarity, you are ready to lead your team toward a solution.

1. Gather the facts. You need to separate the real data from emotion as soon as possible. Ask your team to set aside feeling for the moment and provide you with relevant information so that you can uncover the true reality of the situation.

2. Communicate the facts. Individuals on your team may be reacting to rumors or incomplete information. Once you can see the full picture of what you’re up against, make sure your team understands the current reality as well.

3. Work toward a solution. Ask the team to come up with two or three viable solutions. Give them the time frame required for delivering results, and let them get to work.

Actively working together toward a clear objective is one of the most powerful ways to quell fear and generate a sense of calm. Your team needs you to set the example.

Times of crisis are difficult enough already. Don’t make it worse.

When a leader loses perspective for too long, it can be terminal.

So what should one do who finds themselves tired, fearful, and confused? Here are 5 suggestions for those of you who might be trapped in this very uncomfortable place right now.

1. Take some time OFF. This may feel like the last thing you can afford to do, but it could be exactly what you need right now. Don’t take a trip — take a vacation.  Unplug and rest. Take some time to sleep, read, exercise, eat right, and connect with those who encourage you. The purpose of this OFF time is to rejuvenate you, not to further drain you.

2. Protect your sacred spaces. iPhones, Blackberries and TVs are incredibly useful tools in our lives, but we must establish boundaries. If we are sitting in bed late at night or first thing in the morning checking Facebook, watching the news, and responding to email, we are living in reactive mode 24/7. We won’t get the rest we need, and we will wake up feeling further behind. Instead, make your late evenings and early mornings a reflective, restful time. Use this time for the things that refresh you. Protect your bedroom as a sacred space, and keep certain times of the day as sacred.

3. Feed the machine. Our bodies will break down over time if not properly cared for. Make your health an A-1 priority. Make healthy meals, daily exercise, plenty of sleep and lots of water a habitual part of each and every day. Don’t take your body for granted, or the machine will break down just when you need it most.

4. Spend time with your cheerleaders. Make sure you find time in your week to spend with people who love you, believe in you, and who truly want to see you at your best. Hopefully this takes place already in your home, with your close friends, and with certain team members. Be mindful of who you invest your time with, and if needed schedule extra time with those who encourage you most.

5. Consult the map daily. Look at the plans and books that guide your direction every morning. Keep your Life Plan, Business Vision, and Business Plan in front of you. If you lose sight of the big picture, the tired, mundane, confused and even fear-filled days will surely follow.

I am confident that one or more of these tactics will help you to get your perspective back. May you be fortified for the battles of your life.

Wonderful, that is, once I arrived.

I will spare you the brunt of my travel woes, but my day involved cancelled planes, standby, and an arrival just 3 hours after the event started. Slightly stressed (or just a bit more than slightly), I made it to the site with just 15 minutes to spare before I was to speak on Coaching Leadership.

It was at this event that I learned about the term “reboundability”. After my presentation, I was talking to a few of our clients and I shared about my day’s mishaps. This is when our friend and client Melanie Nygren shared this idea of reboundabilty.

She said that the ability to rebound after a challenge or mishap is what makes people who they are. Those who have the ability to rebound quickly and completely are the people who enjoy the most success in life. And those who get stuck and cannot move forward have more challenges.

I think Melanie is right. Our ability to rebound after we encounter all that life can throw at us will determine how we live in the days ahead.

So here is to moving forward and through the challenges ahead. To our Reboundability!

Thank you for the insight and great word Melanie,

Dealing with these very real scenarios can really bring a leader down.  And the unfortunate thing is that, if he spends too much time each day focused on these activities for too long, he and his team will begin to lose sight of why they do what they do.  They will lose sight of the mission, they will no longer see opportunity, and they will lose hope. 

Ultimately, if the leader has both eyes down on the data, the organization’s health and culture will suffer.

For the last few years, I’ve been saying that the best leaders have what I call bifocal vision.  They have the ability to keep one eye down looking at reality while keeping the other eye up looking at the future.  They do spend time managing to the very real challenges of today.  But they also spend time playing offense, sharing vision and executing plans that will help them and their teams to see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

I know from personal experience that this can be very difficult for a leader.  But without bifocal vision, I have seen leaders kill their organizations — long before they ran out of cash.

Action Plans:

1. Schedule time to review your key reports or scorecard.  Weekly is usually enough, but during times of crisis you may need to see the data daily.
2. Schedule time weekly to review your vision.  During times of crisis or real challenge, you might need to review it daily.
3. Share a portion of your vision with your team weekly.  This can be done by discussing a conviction and its corresponding behaviors during a weekly team meeting.  Or you could communicate one key element of what you see the organization or team becoming in an email message (or for even greater impact, try recording a short video from your desk).  The purpose is to keep the team balanced between dealing with the very real and sometimes painful changes of today, and remaining passionate and engaged with the possibility of tomorrow.

Keep one eye down and one eye up!