Leading Constructively in Tough Times…

When I view the business world and in particular the leaders of business I find that , like in life generally, people allow themselves to be led by their emotions. Now for most, that’s not particularly revelatory or indeed rocket science but what it means when it comes to leading constructively in tough times is that a courageous leader would be equipped with the ability to be emotionally resilient. (Note RESILIENT not RESISTANT). Which means that they would be able to fully experience the emotions moving through them that are sparked by what is going on around them but are plugged into a deeper, more grounded and still place inside which is un-shakeable. There’s a recognition that there is no point in avoiding the natural death and resurrection cycle of life within business and by being meta to the surface reality of what is going on, it gives you a leadership edge.

One of my favourite quotes is:
“peace. it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart” unknown
What this says to me is that you can have all kinds of challenging situations and tough decisions, people and pressure going on around you but you are peaceful BECAUSE you are certain inside. Certainty inside is a process of remembering rather than a learning of new tools or strategies and can often be experienced as a peeling off of behaviours and beliefs long held to courageously open up to new perspectives and ideas. It’s an ability to KNOW that no matter how tough a situation appears, that everything changes and “this too shall pass”. If you as a leader allow yourself to forget that there is always a bigger picture going on and get stuck in problem solving, you are likely to use a lot of energy up wastefully and always be ‘managing’ a situation rather than transforming it. This certainty is magnetic and absolutely brings about a calmness amongst the chaos. It is always the energy of who you are being that affects what is going on around you.
A simple reminder to self when things are tough:
  • Do whatever it takes for you to create space and get out of the reactive environment if needs be in order to get back into the observer of the situation rather than the subject.
  • Remind yourself that ‘this too shall pass’ much like the seasons in nature and there is always a bigger picture context going on which will become clear in the fullness of time.
  • If you as a leader can be in a grounded and certain place authentically, you will enable your team to also be there. Don’t expect others to turn up in ways that you aren’t doing yourself.
  • Instead of berating the challenge on your plate, no matter how hard, be courageous and ponder on how the situation is providing an opportunity. This may be hard when all you can see is cost but you can do it anyway and get used to staying in that open minded position.
This is why I love what I do as a coach and intuitive mentor and why I have a mentor myself. Its invaluable as a leader to have a time put aside to be supported to stay real, open and vulnerable whilst at the same time, building emotional resilience and be reminded of the bigger picture, or context of what is going on. That way, you will experience the inherent ‘tough times’ of business life with more ease and flow, certainty and clarity.