How Purpose-Driven Leaders Keep Their Cool: 15 Tips for Leading in Tense Times
What do purpose-driven leaders do to keep their cool in tense times? Here are 15 tips shared by respected decision-makers in different industries.
To help you stay calm in the face of challenging moments in the workplace, we asked purpose-driven business leaders and CEOs this question for their best advice. From making time for yourself to keeping the situation in perspective, there are several suggestions that may help leaders approach tense situations with grace.
Here are 15 strategies for staying composed:
● Find the Root of the Issue
● Have a Plan and Stick to It
● Keep the Situation in Perspective
● Always Work Collaboratively
● Make Time for Yourself
● Remember It’s About Teamwork
● Create an Open and Honest Environment
● Practice Self-Care and Stay Present
● Wait to Act
● Be an Example to the Team
● See It as a Teachable Moment
● Address Issues Quickly
● Identify Your Triggers
● Keep a Mindfulness Practice
● Show Your Confidence and Fearlessness
Find the Root of the Issue
This is truly important as we’re all human. A few things come to mind — one of my quotes at home, after deliberation of something, is “it’s not a crisis,” and by a vast majority, that is true. A crisis or emergency calls for cool as well. For everything else, step back, take a deep breath, and ask questions.
I was taught in leadership that it’s important to find out the core of an issue: is it a systems issue, a training issue, a supply issue, and finally, is it a personnel issue? Finding out with questions quickly which type of issue is to be dealt with can cool tensions and help focus on solutions when things are tense. Working from home can be hard. Many of us have family around us, and it’s important to keep cool for them, too. And often, it’s not a crisis.
-Kim Allchurch-Flick, Mighty Epiphyte
Have a Plan and Stick to It
Don’t freak out. Stick to the plan. Understand how they became tense and get used to it because it will happen again.
-David Cascadden, Left Coast Raw
Keep the Situation in Perspective
Slow down and take a breath. Keep things in perspective. When I get stressed, I think back to the most stressful times in my life. For me, that usually involves memories from when I was a paramedic intern with a critical trauma patient, and I compare it to the current situation.
Remember to work from bravery and dedication to keep moving forward towards a solution until you and your clients succeed. Know that you will learn and improve from every challenging situation.
-Charles Ramsay, Metro PDX Homes
Always Work Collaboratively
Grow a strong team. It’s a myth that leaders have to do all the work alone. Collaboratively working brings in a diverse set of ideas, perspectives, and approaches — and it always makes the work better.
-Erik Croswell, Bridge City Media
Make Time for Yourself
Whether you like to vacation, golf, workout, read, or just sleep in, make sure you make time for yourself. Leading people is a struggle and constant challenge. If you are stressed and worn out, it will show. Make sure you make enough time away from work to ensure you come fresh each and every day. Everyone working for you and following you will appreciate it.
-Layton Cox, Sr. Associate Consultant
Remember It’s About Teamwork
Understand the situation thoroughly. Spend more time on planning, and hold your team together. Eventually, it’s a team effort, and good leaders are those who are an inspiration for the team.
-Rahul Mitra, University of Arizona
Create an Open and Honest Environment
It’s important to know that you’re not alone. Often, the team you’re leading shares the same challenges as you during these hard times. Personally, I’ve found it best to be honest and open. From pandemic stress to social justice challenges, you can create a space to have tough conversations and actively listen.
-Nellie Hundshamer, The Walt Disney Company
Practice Self-Care and Stay Present
Stress is contagious, especially when it’s rolling downhill. Strong leaders are team-focused and acutely aware of how their actions influence others under regular circumstances and in the context of a pandemic.
Prioritize self-care but do it on your own time. If necessary, work through your own tensions offline — alone or with a trusted confidant. Stay present in your interactions with teammates and honor them by remaining positive and in tone and focused on their needs.
-Marisa Michaels, Eller College
Wait to Act
A strong leader reacts calmly and with a well-thought-out plan to a situation. Take a deep breath and pause before jumping headfirst into problem-solving. This will give you time to collect your thoughts and examine the problem with a clear mind.
Regardless of how difficult it may be, it is critical to grasp the truth of a situation and acknowledge your limitations during a crisis. Realize that nothing an individual leader can do in the heat of the moment can solve the entire problem. You’re better off acting from your most vital, calmest self rather than reacting quickly.
-Danny Torres, Generated
Be an Example to the Team
Being a leader in these tense times can be both exhilarating and challenging. Your team is watching and taking cues from you on how you react to everyday situations and changes. Being authentic with your own feelings can help the team know it’s okay to feel, to be human, and to not know all the answers. Keeping it positive and seeking solutions can show them the way to turn around the most intense moments.
-Jenn Christie, Markitors
See It as a Teachable Moment
When dealing with tense situations or problems, I always advise leaders to approach any discussion of the issue from a non-emotional viewpoint. The best leaders know how to keep their cool in the face of adversity.
Getting angry or emotional can simply exacerbate the situation and, in many cases, will cause more harm than good. Make the most of these difficult situations by coaching, guiding, and teaching your team.
-Henry Babicheknko, Stomadent
Address Issues Quickly
It’s essential to establish a customer or employee’s belief that they were handled fairly. That’s why addressing the situation as quickly as possible is important. Don’t let the situation go too long without any contact. Show that you are committed to correcting issues right away to alleviate ill feelings that can quickly build when there is a lack of communication.
-Blake Murphey, American Pipeline Solutions
Identify Your Triggers
When you get into high-stress situations, it’s best to see what things are putting you in a negative mindset. You should watch for signs that you are feeling more stressed and determine what things are putting you in that mindset. If you get stressed before an event, try to create a plan in your mind and see if you can diffuse the situation in advance rather than creating a scene in the moment.
-Nina Jensen, 8x8
Keep a Mindfulness Practice
One book that changed my outlook on leadership is “The Miracle of Mindfulness” by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk exiled in Paris during the Vietnam War. Thich was nominated by Martin Luther King Jr. for the Nobel Peace Prize because of his approach to peaceful activism. In this book, he talks about how to recognize the way you feel when things become tense.
You can feel these feelings, but that doesn’t mean they get to control you. Step away from the situation. Go outside if you can, or at least away from the computer. Take 10 deep breaths, breathing for one second in, one second out, two seconds in, two seconds out. And if you lose count on the way to 10, then start over.
As a leader, you can’t act out on those feelings or lash out. To quote Thich, it’s about stepping into the fray only when needed.
-Lauren Patrick, Curricula
Show Your Confidence and Fearlessness
The problem when it comes to dealing with uncertain situations is that it often instills a lot of fear and panic from others. This can often be a big distraction that leads to even more problems if left unchecked. Any business owner has experienced moments of uncertainty, and in such cases, it’s common for your mind to mentally freeze and start to lose focus.
Moreover, if your employees and teammates see that you are rattled, it also shakes their confidence and completely lowers everyone’s motivation. During such times, leaders must be able to project a cool persona that allows others to feel relaxed and that everything is still under control.
-Caroline Lee, CocoSign
Terkel creates community-driven content featuring expert insights. Sign up at terkel.io to answer questions and get published.
~benefitcorporationsforgood.com~