Regional Updates

I have spent the last 17 years working as a coach with teams and leaders in the region and I have seen the good, the bad and the downright ugly(!) over those times, especially when we have experienced other crises – the global financial crisis of 2009/10, the Arab Spring, and COVID-19. 

I am writing this to answer the question: What do leaders need to do at this time to lead their team through this current situation?

Times like this put leaders under even more pressure than normal as their teams become impacted by events. The uncertainty and fear that everyone in your team is experiencing means they are looking to authority figures for reassurance, information, advice and help. 

A good example of this right now is how the UAE’s leadership is acting. Who hasn’t been reassured by the visibility of the Sheikhs – visiting malls to show normality, meet citizens, going to hospitals to visit the injured – as well as the updates and information coming from government? At a national level, this is important – and it shows how we are all impacted by leadership. How different would it be if they were silent or absent? What if we weren’t getting regular updates and alerts? 

So, what can you do as a leader for your team? You play an absolutely vital role – in normal times, 70% of what the team’s culture climate looks like comes from you as the leader – and this increases when the team is placed under more pressure. 

Here’s three things to think about that will help you lead your team effectively – leading yourself, leadership presence, and leadership action.

LEADING SELF

You can’t lead others effectively if you are not able to manage yourself. I for one found myself overwhelmed with fear and uncertainty in the first few days. If you are not in a good state yourself, you have reduced capacity for care of others. You can become indecisive, and any panic or anxiety that manifests externally will quickly radiate around the team, who will start acting the same way. It’s important that you are able to project calm reassurance which you can only do by looking after yourself first. Here’s some things you can do to help regulate yourself. 

Calm Your Nervous System – the situation will have your nerves jangling. Fear, anxiety and overwhelm are symptoms you have probably experienced. Take time to consciously pause. Find a calm place where you can be still and quiet, close your eyes and breathe deeply. Listen to calming sounds or music – be still and present in the moment to calm your system. Exercise – even a short walk – is good, and if you can do it, get in some water – a pool, or even better, the ocean. Grounding is useful – if you can, take off your shoes and socks and walk barefoot – on grass, sand – I know it sounds odd(!) but a few moments like this can really help.

Limit Exposure to News & Social Media – We all need to be informed, but not 24/7. Set times when you do check – but plenty of time when you don’t. Put the phone down and be choosy about what you read. There is a lot of misinformation and sensationalist posting – to sell newspapers or as clickbait. Pick reputable, official sources only for your news and ignore the rest. Constant doom scrolling will only increase your cortisol – the stress hormone – and we need to avoid that.

Get Help – You can’t cope with this alone. We do have to present an outward appearance of calm, but if you are overwhelmed, anxious or afraid – don’t do it alone. Find someone to talk to, whether that is a friend, peer, spouse or a professional like a therapist or psychiatrist. Being able to get things off your chest and speak honestly about how you are doing with a trusted listener is hugely reassuring and calming. 

Keep Moving – I don’t mean physically this time – what I mean here is keep taking steps forward in whatever you are doing. Hesitation and procrastination won’t help. Find the balance though as you do need to pause and assess before making knee-jerk, uninformed decisions. But decisive action is important.

LEADERSHIP PRESENCE

As I said earlier, your people are looking to you for guidance and reassurance, even more than they do normally. How you show up and what your presence looks like has vital impact on the team. What you do and say – even if you are doing it unconsciously – will be implicit permission to act the same way. ‘Oh, if the leader’s doing that, it means I can too’. 

This idea is at the crux of all leadership, at any time, let alone when under pressure. What you do means they will do it too. If you are not present, if you are panicking, if you are inconsistent, if you lose your temper, treat people unfairly, critically – whatever you do means they see it as permission to do the same. It is really important that you show up consciously and intentionally for and with your team, in a positive way. How do you want to be seen as a leader? How do you want the team to remember how you lead them during this time, a year from now or five or ten years in the future?

Stay Cool on the Net – I learned this from a friend who led troops in war. ‘Stay cool on the net’ means how he spoke on the radio net, which all his soldiers could hear. Any hint of panic or tension would radiate to them. Your tone, volume, how you communicate with your team – emails, calls, in person – is vital. The team is taking emotional cues from you. Stay calm, clear and authoritative – but avoid being a dictator, too.

Use the Leadership Superpowers of Humility, Vulnerability & Empathy. Being honest with your team is important. Revealing that you are scared or worried too – or saying things like ‘I don’t have all the answers’ or similar will endear you to the team. You can do this whilst retaining your presence, authority and resolve. It is not a choice of one or the other. Saying something like ‘I am as scared as you are, and I don’t have all the answers – but I trust all of you and I know we can do our very best together to get us through this – and I am here to help you with whatever it takes’ is the presence and tone which strikes the right balance.

It also shows empathy, which is vital. Caring about your people, treating them as humans and not just a resource, is extremely important right now. Taking a genuine, caring interest in their wellbeing and that of their dependents is vital and shows you to be a great leader.

LEADERSHIP ACTION

Here are some things you can be doing as a leader at the moment outside of looking after yourself, and your conscious choices about how you show up with your leadership persona.

Do More – What I mean here is you have to work harder as a leader at this time. More presence, more communication (see below on that), more action. Your team really needs you right now. And this is where you earn the higher pay that you get above theirs. This is where real leaders are made, at difficult times. There well worn phrase ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’ resonates. Get going – do more for your team.

Be Flexible – Don’t be rigid and have flexibility where you can. The obvious way this is happening is letting people work from home. This is subjective, but I have seen leaders being intractable and insisting people come to the office, which scares them and decreases motivation hugely. If you need them to come in, the clearly explain why – or ask yourself, do they really need to be there? Apply flexibility wherever you can at the moment.

Be Honest - Don’t lie or make promises you can’t keep. Be consistent with your messaging to everyone and be truthful and honest – even if it is hard for you to say it, and difficult for them to hear. Their trust in you at this time is absolutely vital. You need to maintain that, and the quickest way you will destroy it is dishonesty. I can’t stress this highly enough. You will do long lasting damage to the trust you have with your team by making promises and not keeping them, by being inconsistent and causing confusion. 

Be Visible – Do not hide away. Your team need you more than ever right now. See below for my advice on communication, but presence is vital. I read recently about a general in the Second World War who called all his commanders who reported into him at the beginning and end of every day. A quick short check in, twice a day. I am not saying you have to go to those lengths – but the more frequent you can do this, the better. I have personally had great success with a five-minute focused stand up daily huddle with my team. 

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate. Leaders should be talking with their teams a lot anyway – now is the time to really ramp this up. I don’ think you can over-communicate in times of crisis. Individual check ins, team calls/meetings – asking lots of questions, seeing how people are, just listening to their fears, problems, challenges and being a shoulder to cry on if needed. Transmitting information from the company, offering advice, making decisions. Show up, be present, be visible. 

Do not hide, even if it is tempting because things are hard or you don’t know what to say. See the point above about vulnerability – it’s OK if you don’t have answers – it’s OK to say so. Avoid conjecture, rumour, speculation and gossip. Tell your team this should be avoided too. Be sure that what you are saying is truthful and honest. 

Do Things Efficiently & Prioritise – what’s important RIGHT NOW and what can be left for later? Which meetings or actions do you need – and which can you postpone so people can have time to do the more vital things right now? Keep asking ‘is this necessary right now’? 

Be Decisive – Don’t procrastinate. You may not be able to have all the information you need – you might have to act quickly. Do your best, get help with the decision making if you can – ask your team what they would do, perhaps – the leader can’t make all the decisions, all the time – giving your team agency where possible in their future is tremendously empowering. Involve them where you can in the decisions about the destiny, it will get more commitment and accountability from them. 

I hope these thoughts and this advice helps you as a leader to get your team through this. I guarantee you that they need your help now more than ever before. And you have a tremendous opportunity to do some really meaningful, fulfilling work that could be the greatest thing you do as a leader in your career. None of us chose this, we’d all rather it wasn’t happening – but I hope this helps you lead with presence, authority and care. Your team will appreciate it and remember you for it for years to come.