Conscious Leadership in Uncertain Times
How to lead your remote team during times of chaos and change
There are moments in history that completely alter the course of humanity. We are living in one of those moments. It’s not a subtle change that creeps up and changes society slowly, like adopting a new technology. This is instead a drastic change that happened in less than 30 days and continues to unfold.
We still don’t know what it means or what the world will look like in 6 weeks, 6 months or 6 years. One thing is certain: during inflection points like this, there is enormous opportunity to fundamentally alter for the better how we function as a society.
But for many, this sudden and unanticipated change is difficult to process. Significant life moments and plans have been postponed or cancelled. College graduations, weddings, business projects, dream vacations, family celebrations. The loss is felt acutely and there’s a sense of grief.
This is the emotional state of many of your team members: they’re feeling grief, anger, confusion, disappointment. Both personally and professionally, they’re processing complex emotions. As a conscious leader, you can help them connect with these emotions, understand how to move forward and actually thrive with new plans that excite and inspire them.
So how can you, as a conscious leader for your remote team, help them come through this experience stronger? Here are a few things to consider:
Listen, Hold Space and Be Patient.
Perhaps one of the most powerful skills for a conscious leader is listening. There are three different levels of listening.
Subjective listening means only focusing on what you, the listener, are thinking about and want to say in response; it’s agenda-focused. This makes the speaker feel unheard or even ignored.
Objective listening means the listener is genuinely interested and hears what the speaker says without an agenda attached.
Intuitive listening is even more effective than objective listening because it focuses on more than the words being shared. Intuitive listening senses the speaker’s tone, energy, feelings, etc. With intuitive listening, you’re hearing what’s not being said.
Tap into your intuitive listening, hold space to let the team member share what they’re truly feeling, and then be patient as they process their emotions. Ask empowering, open-ended questions and let them open up. It will make your team stronger and show each member you value them as a person, not just a role they fill.
Practice Resilience and Flexibility.
In times of uncertainty, resilience and flexibility are essential. You can display these skills to your team by showing them how to go with the flow and adjust plans quickly. Some team members are going to struggle with changing their paradigms.
Most of us like to be comfortable and feel like we have control. So learning to be flexible and resilient will greatly assist your team in not only this challenge, but all future challenges. Help them think look through the lens of opportunity and seeing things from a different perspective.
Maybe the big project they were working on must end due to the economy. Now that circumstances have changed, where do they see new opportunities for even bigger projects? How can they map out a new course for their career based on new circumstances? Shifting perspectives can fundamentally alter how they handle difficulty.
Encourage Experimentation
During times of uncertainty, many people and businesses become cautious. They’re scared to take what they perceive as risks because they’re more concerned about maintaining than gaining. But taking chances—even small ones—during times of uncertainty can actually lead to incredible growth because things that weren’t possible before suddenly become possible.
Author Safi Bahcall shares an analogy that may help your team think about how to allocate for experimentation: a cruise ship, a speed boat and a helicopter. The cruise ship is your main business. You maintain it and nurture it. But it’s totally fine to launch a speed boat related to your core business, just to see what happens. A helicopter is a “loonshot” idea that isn’t related to your core business, but could launch a new product, service or business that will be wildly successful.
Safi recommends determining within your budget how to allocate funding to your cruise ship, speed boat and helicopter according to your comfort level. Perhaps 70% for your core business, 20% for projects related to your core business that can grow it, and 10% for your experiments that might not be related, but could innovate and launch new, exciting opportunities.
The main thing to remember when supporting your remote team during chaotic times is that as a conscious leader, you can be vulnerable and honest. You won’t have all the answers, nor do you need to. Stay true to your values, keep working on your level of consciousness and investing in your team. You’ll be amazed by the connection and growth of your team as you thrive through uncertain times.
Work happy. Live happy. BE happy.
Meredith
I will soon be launching a training series for employers and employees to hone their remote work skills. Stay posted for these exciting and timely new courses!
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