Leading through Crisis
Let’s face it. This past year has been hard. Life is hard. Work is hard. Work and life together are hard. Just as workers have had to deal with unprecedented demands and adjust to new ways of working, so have leaders. When you become a manager, no one hands you a playbook telling you how to lead through a crisis. Like the rest of us, you just have to do it. Here are some principles that I adopted for my team and me this past year that have helped us navigate a challenging time:
Don’t stay quiet. In this day and age, I firmly believe that silence is complicity. Yes, you as a leader may not feel equipped to speak up or may not know what to say. Here’s a little secret: none of us do. A simple message acknowledging the challenges that we are dealing with collectively outside of work and reiterating the resources available to help address these challenges is often enough. Employees don’t expect you to have all the answers. They just want to know that you have their back. That knowledge makes navigating the rest of it less daunting.
Have the courage to be vulnerable. When I’ve struggled this year, I have tried to be open with my employees about those struggles. If I had a long week and need to take some time off for myself, I will do this, and I will tell them I’m doing it. Even if you (and they) don’t realize it, you are a role model for your staff. If they see that you are prioritizing taking time off, that makes it OK for them to take time off. You need to put on your oxygen mask before helping others. A crisis is a marathon and not a sprint—getting by on adrenaline is not enough.
Collect data to help you learn. I instituted a monthly motivation survey prior to the pandemic that collected anonymized data on team satisfaction with project roles and with leadership. We discussed the data at monthly team meetings. It sparked a constructive conversation around the reasons why motivation was either soaring or lagging. Most of the time, these changes were due to external factors outside of work (see first bullet.) But, nonetheless, it helped me keep a pulse on team morale and adjust nimbly based on feedback received. It also cultivated an atmosphere of psychological safety and normalized giving and receiving feedback on the team.
Recognize that one size does not fit all. Each of your employees is different, processes information differently, and has different needs. This is obvious of course, but still we sometimes forget. Early in the pandemic, I made the mistake of making a lighthearted comment “mandating” that my team show up on video for one of our weekly meetings. Some of my employees shared their reservations about this policy, as not everyone feels comfortable appearing on video (for a variety of different reasons.) I thanked them for the feedback and course corrected accordingly.
Be present but not overbearing. Shortly thereafter, I implemented optional drop-in office hours for my team once a week. I made it clear in the title and in the advertising for the meeting that participation is optional, so folks don't feel pressured to attend. Some people never show up. Others faithfully appear week after week. We use the time to work independently together, ask for advice, or sometimes just chit chat about nonsense—whatever it is that we need that day.
Celebrate the small wins. The first week of the pandemic, I distributed a team “shout-outs” email highlighting accomplishments from the past week. Shout-outs ranged from team collaboration to taking time for mental health to work-related accomplishments. The response I received was so overwhelmingly positive that we have kept the shout-outs going strong since last March. The team looks forward to reading them to learn more about what their colleagues are doing and as a fun way to wind down with a positive news story at the end of a long week.
