Leadership has a whole different meaning in times of crisis. Global pandemic. Economic downturn. Organizational shake up. Whatever the cause, uncertainty challenges leaders more than almost anything. What do you do in the middle of chaos, how do you keep your team focused, how do you emerge stronger on the other side? If it had resilient leadership, the answer is. Enough talk, let’s jump in and check out the key things every leader needs to know about getting through tough times.
What Is Resilient Leadership?
Defining Resilience in Leadership
To bounce back isn’t the only thing resilience is about; it’s about building and growing by adapting to adversity. Although resilient leaders can experience bumps, they don’t lose their direction; they stay steady; they are clear with their teams and turn those bumps into opportunities. They don’t just weather the storm, they plot their way through it.
Why Resilience Matters in Crisis
In a crisis people look to leaders to be stable and provide direction. A flexible curator for the total business, a strong leader establishes a disposition to maintain level minds and direction during times of doubt. Resilience is important, for even strong organizations stumble under adversity without it.
Lesson 1: Get Better at Communicating With Transparency and Empathy
The Power of Honest Communication
Clarity is a word so very few people know these days, when we live in uncertain times. Fear and speculation breed when communication is lacking, as trust will suffer. If you’re a leader, then it’s up to you to be transparent, even when the news isn’t. When you are honest about challenges, it builds credibility and lets your team know that they’re not in the dark.
Best Practices for Transparent Communication:
Subscribe, share updates regularly even if there’s littl new to report.
Sugarcóating or withholding hard facts is a big no no.
And commit to following up on what you don’t know.
Leading with Empathy
We all react differently in crisis. Whether some of your team is experiencing challenges in their personal lives or in the workplace due to all this uncertainty. Be empathetic, actively listen, check in on people, be able to be flexible with their needs.
Example:
Instead of saying, “We all need to work harder during this time,” try: “I understand these are challenging times for everyone. How can we support you better?”
Lesson 2: Stay focused on what’s important and WHY you are doing it.
Anchoring Decisions in Core Values
Especially in times of chaos we can all too easily forget what’s important. They rely on their organization’s core values in decision making. These are the compass values that ensure that even in difficult times actions will remain in line with the organisations mission.
Example:
Never decide to cut budgets behind closed doors if there is a strategic company focus on transparency, or, at least, sit down and discuss the necessity of cutting expenses among the owners.
Reconnecting with the Bigger Picture
In times of crisis, what often occurs is teams are left to operate in survival mode, managing only the pressing problems of this moment. Being a leader, you want to remind your team of the larger task they are working. However, this sense of purpose can reignite that motivation so that you have that purpose that you need.
Lesson 3: Learning to Adapt Quickly… But, Thoughtfully.
Embracing Agility
Rigid plans don’t work in crisis situations. While resilient leaders adapt with their strategy based on the changing situation. In other words, it doesn’t mean throwing the baby out with the bath water and abandoning structure—it means having systems that would allow us to change directions quickly when we need to.
Steps to Stay Agile:
- Gather input from a variety of people to make a judgment as to the options.
- Decide with incomplete information, but the best available information gathered to date.
- Adjust regularly as well as reassess based on new data that comes.
Balancing Speed with Caution
Speed is important, but haste makes waste. Don’t just think in terms of risks, consider what long term consequences are and plan for them. The key is to get the right balance between action and deliberation.
Lesson 4: Build and Maintain Trust
Trust as a Leadership Currency
Trust is your most valuable asset during a crisis. Even the best laid plans don’t work without it. Consistency builds trust—you do what you say and demonstrate that you care about the team’s best interests.
Tips for Building Trust:
- Most importantly, need to be visible and available in remote or challenging environments.
- Own the mistakes, and be accountable for outcomes.
Never break a promise, even a little one.
Leveraging Trust to Empower Teams
Good leader knows that they can’t do it all by themselves. Trust your team to take responsibility. When you empower others, you’re empowering them to own things, you’re not overloading leadership, you’re not having one person do everything.
Lesson 5: Prioritize Well-Being
Leading by Example
Attempting work without a break is inevitable as the leader continues to burn out, and as a result he or she will not effectively guide the team. Make sure your team sees that well being is a priority by your leading the way in living a healthy lifestyle. Set boundaries, take breaks — encourage others to do the same.
Example:
Do you send late night emails? Instead of sending late night emails, set a precedent to encourage people to achieve work life balance, setting a standard for regular business hours.
Supporting Team Mental Health
Mental health is profoundly affected by crisis. Provide resources for your team such as counseling, ease of flexible schedules and stress workshops to care for your team’s emotional health.
Lesson 6: Introduce Optimism and Resilience in Peoples
Fostering a Growth Mindset
Resilient leaders adjust themselves — they also inspire those around them to do the same. Frame challenges as opportunities for learning and innovation, and encourage a growth mindset.
Example:
When facing a budget cut, ask: “How can we do more with less?” instead of lamenting the loss of resources.
Celebrating Small Wins
Big victories may be far and few between in tough times. To ramp morale and reel your team in of some progress when achievements are smaller, celebrate those.
Lesson 7: Plan Present, Plan Future
Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Goals
When under crisis, it’s easy to spend all of your mental energy on just survival. However, resilient leaders watch the future one eye. Think of the crisis as an opportunity to reset some outmoded strategies and build strength on which to base future growth.
Questions to Ask:
- It’s time for us to learn from this crisis.
But if we can’t predict the future, how do we prepare better?
Scenario Planning
Create plans about what to do in different outcomes. With scenario planning, your team feels ready, and that reduces panic about the unknown.
The Legacy of Resilient Leadership
Turning Crisis into Opportunity
The resilient leaders that come out from these crises may not survive, but they are stronger and their leadership style will be informed by their experiences for years to come. Through the embrace of transparency, adaptability, empathy and trust these dire circumstances can become the moment that truly defines your organization.
Leaving a Lasting Impact
What you do, how you lead in a crisis will stick with you long after the crisis is over. Leaders who inspire confidence, show compassion for teams, and help them find some certainty when things seem uncertain are not easy for teams to forget. Resilient leadership is not about merely surviving the storm, it’s about surviving to use your resilience to help your team thrive once the storm has passed.
Final Thoughts
No one ever said that leading is easy, but it is at times of uncertainty when the best leaders are really born. Staying close to your own values, empathising with those around you and developing resilience in yourself and others will help steer your organisation through any challenge. Keep in mind, however, that a crisis affords opportunity to flourish, to adjust and a reason to lead from strength. The point isn’t to avoid the storm, it’s to learn leadership through the storm.
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