Michelle Schafer On Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Uncertain & Turbulent Times

Get comfortable with the uncomfortable — if things have been done the same way for so long, they no longer respond effectively to the changing environment. So make a point of disrupting the status quo. Challenge processes, solutions and ideas, in order to come up with better processes, better solutions and better ideas. The only way this can happen is by stepping outside of our comfort zone.

As part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Michelle Schafer.

Michelle is an award-winning career coach and owner of Michelle Schafer Coaching , specializing in leadership development and career transition. Certified by the International Coaching Federation, Michelle is known for her ability to connect with people and develop individual coaching programs to help clients clarify their career goals, develop a job search strategy to find work that energizes them, empower employees, lead teams in a hybrid environment, establish positive relationships with others in the workplace and have challenging conversations. Clients describe her as warm, honest, empathetic, a good listener, able to create a safe and comfortable environment that helps people relax and talk openly, and ask thought-provoking questions to encourage curiosity.

Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

I love learning about the career stories of my clients, and how I got into coaching is a story on its own. I’ve been restructured twice and reinvented myself twice in my career — first from financial services to not-for-profit, then not-for-profit to small business ownership (nearly 8 years ago!) as a coach and the owner of Michelle Schafer Coaching. I joke that at age 46, I finally knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. A good coaching friend planted the seed years ago, as I had always coached as part of my job — then, when my position was eliminated a second time, I started networking with coaches to learn more and find out about their coaching specialization and what coaching school they went to. I realized after taking my first level coaching certification that this was something I wanted to do as a career (not just off the side of my desk), so I established my own practice and, because of my own transition experience, chose to focus my coaching in the career space. The book “Answering Your Call” by John Schuster provided a lot of inspiration to me as I was contemplating this huge pivot in my career.

When I work with clients, I focus on work that gives them energy. For me, I am deeply fulfilled and truly inspired by the progress of others ‒ it’s rewarding to work with someone who may be stuck when they come to me and end up developing new strategies and using new tools to help them take steps forward toward their career goal.

I am proud to hold my Professional Coaching certification with the International Coaching Federation, was nominated by Faces Magazine this year for Top Ottawa Career Coach, and was named as one of Ottawa’s Top 20 Career Coaches in 2020. In 2022 and 2023, I was honoured as a Brainz Executive Contributor and recipient of a Global 500 award.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

One of the things I’ll share with my leadership clients is “start as you intend to continue” — be true with what you need early on, and all your behaviours and actions should align with that intention. The funny thing is I didn’t follow this guidance early on when I started my business. I value family time and setting boundaries around my work, in addition to focusing my energy on work I truly enjoy doing. When I launched my business, I went against all these things — I said yes to some evening and weekend work as a way of getting my name out there and said yes to a lot of resume writing work to pay the bills (and resume writing is one of the things that truly sucks the energy right out of me!). These learnings have really shaped how I establish and hold boundaries now — not just around my work day, but also with the work I accept. Now, I say no to evening and weekend work — and ditto to resume writing! I’m a lot happier and fulfilled as a result.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I love this question — as it’s so important to recognize people in our lives that help, support and encourage us. I feel grateful to have had a number of people in my corner as I established my coaching practice — one in particular is my good friend Val Rosettani. Val is a certified coach and Managing Director of Integral Coaching Canada. Many years ago, she planted the coaching seed with me, saying she never understood why I didn’t pursue coaching as a career. Although the timing wasn’t right for me then, I never forgot what she said. That seed germinated and grew about a year after this comment was shared — when I was restructured for the second time, I knew the time was now, I needed to start exploring whether coaching could be the right path for me. And it was — I joke that at age 46, I finally decided what to do when I grew up! Val’s comment was the prompt I needed to get into coaching. And I’ve never looked back since.

Extensive research suggests that “purpose-driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your organization started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?

I love Simon Sinek’s “The Power of Why”. I believe that everyone deserves to find a career that allows them to do work that gives them energy, for a company that believes what they believe in. That’s my “why”, and it applies whether you are a leader or whether you are exploring a new career path. This purpose is the same today as it was 8 years ago when I started my business. “How” I do this is by creating a safe space for clients to explore and reflect, combined with providing practical activities to help them try new approaches and take baby steps forward to get them closer to their goal. Many baby steps amounts to one giant step!

Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?

Earlier in my career, I led a team which prepared severance packages for individuals affected by a large-scale layoff. My team was advised of who these individuals were before they even received the news themselves. This was difficult for all of us — not only because there were a number of people displaced and the organization was going through huge changes, but also because we all knew people on that list. It was highly confidential work that affected us all personally as well as professionally, as most of us were friends with a few people on that list. I needed to support my team and validate their discomfort and feelings of sadness for their friends, as well as oversee their work to ensure the packages were prepared in a timely way to facilitate delivery of the termination message to individuals. Although our role was an important one, it was challenging to lead this team as I was feeling a lot of the same discomfort they were, and yet still needed to follow the mandate of the organization.

Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?

As a coach and small business owner, my resilience has been tested a few times — first, during the pandemic, and most recently after suffering a femur fracture in February of this year. In both instances, my income took a hit (and yet my expenses continued at the same level). Both times, I needed to work hard to continue producing and keeping my name out in the marketplace. Not only were my existing clients needing support, but I needed to continue attracting new ones. The silver lining in both circumstances: I started writing more — a lot more. I wrote articles for publications and LinkedIn posts, and provided interviews (like this one!) As a result, my profile has elevated in searches and people have approached me to work with me after seeing me on platforms like LinkedIn (in some cases, people they know have seen me on LinkedIn and have referred me). Without giving up, I accepted that the circumstances I was in were uncomfortable, but I would be okay. And I was.

I’m an author and I believe that books have the power to change lives. Do you have a book in your life that impacted you and inspired you to be an effective leader? Can you share a story?

I’m in love with a new leadership offering titled “The Psychological Safety Playbook: Lead More Powerfully By Being More Human” by Minette Norman and Karolin Helbig, which contains 25 easy-to-implement “plays” to help leaders create psychological safety and establish a foundation of trust in teams. This is a must-have for every leader’s toolbox!

Another book that inspired me early on to take a leadership role in my career development was “Answering Your Call” by John Schuster. This latter book really shaped my thinking around what direction I would take my career. I first read it before I experienced my first restructure (I’ve had my job eliminated twice in my career) and again before I decided to get into coaching. It helped me connect to my calling — to coach, develop and help others. I remember a friend of mine encouraging me to reach out to the author John to thank him for the impact this book had on my professional life — we had a few conversations after that, and it was valuable for me to share how meaningful this book was, and rewarding for him to know the impact his writing and insights had for me at a pivotal time in my life.

What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?

The role of a leader in challenging times can be a difficult balance– as the leader is looking after the needs of the team while also holding their own discomfort and stress with the changes and challenges the organization is faced with. Ultimately, it’s important for leaders to inspire confidence and project stability when things are shifting and uncertain, or in a crisis. Encourage communication, and create a safe space for people to speak up and be heard. Make decisions with confidence, and solicit the input from others to gain fresh perspectives (and perhaps perspectives you hadn’t considered). Having a strong team foundation strengthens the organization’s chances of surviving challenges with few casualties.

When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?

Leaders I work with often struggle with boosting morale in challenging times, especially if they are struggling themselves with the reasons why the organization is experiencing turbulent times in the first place. And yet keeping the team moving forward and positive (without using an “everything is awesome” approach — cue the Lego movie and the song by the same name!) is very important. Two ways leaders can boost morale:

1. Bring people together — encourage social interaction (especially in a remote work environment) and have a team coffee, lunch or have some fun together. It will give people a chance to connect, and honouring some lightness in the day can offset the heaviness of the crisis. Strong relationships and a positive team environment will positively impact morale, even in the face of change and uncertainty.
2. Encourage work-life harmony — I remember hearing from multiple people in the early days of the pandemic of leaders who were imposing more work and higher expectations on team members. These actions resulted in low employee engagement, burnout, resentment and increased turnover. Be mindful this is a challenging time for all team members — making them work longer hours will only hinder their ability to cope and do their work. Encourage them to step away from their work at the end of the work day, and help them to establish (and hold) boundaries for themselves. If you lead by example, others will follow.

What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?

It’s never easy to communicate difficult news — whether it’s to a team, or to customers and stakeholders. There is a way to have challenging conversations that shows you are clear and kind at the same time. Be specific in your message, and avoid the temptation to sugar-coat it. Help people understand what is happening, what it means for them, and what you are doing about it. Provide an opportunity for questions and conversation. When we are up front and honest, people appreciate it, and it showcases the importance of transparency as one of your leadership values.

How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?

Flexibility is key — assess, reassess, and pivot where necessary. Change is not linear, so show your ability to adapt and accommodate, and lead your team through this change.

Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?

Be aware — and be prepared. A crisis usually doesn’t happen out of the blue without warning. There are often signs and “red flags” present well before, that go ignored because there are other pressing priorities. Reflect, and observe, and be open to pivoting where necessary. Keep communication open, and stay close to your team, to better understand how they are responding and what they need. The more you can be aware, and be informed, the better you can guide your organization through tough times.

Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?

From personal experience and as a leadership coach, the one thing I’ve seen consistently is leaders get silent. There is little or no conversation about the situation, what’s being done about it and how it will affect others. So people jump to conclusions, or assume the worst. And they have no way to address their concerns or questions. Minimal communication creates anxiety, so leaders have an opportunity to be up front as much as they can, talk openly about what is happening, and check in with team members on an individual basis to see how they are and what they need to cope. Open communication should be welcomed — not feared.

The other mistake I see is senior teams will make decisions amongst themselves, without involving other team members. This creates a “wait and see” approach where teams receive the direction from senior leaders, without contributing to decisions, approaches or solutions. In this way, the voices of only a few are heard — those few voices are not representative of the whole organization. Solicit input, ask questions, and encourage team members to feel safe contributing a dissenting idea or opinion.

In challenging times, there can also be a tendency to focus on the problems at hand which leads to neglecting employee well-being. Especially in tough times, leaders need to check in with their team members, and see how they are coping with changes and uncertainty. It may seem like there is no time in the day for these conversations, and yet this is one move that demonstrates to employees that their leader cares about them. Asking “what questions do you have about the changes we are experiencing?”, “how are you coping?” and “what do you need from me?” can go a long way in helping team members feel like they matter.

Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times? Please share a story or an example for each.

1. Do a psychological safety check — During a crisis or time of change, this is an opportunity for a company to take an honest look at itself. Is this an environment where people feel safe to talk about problems, bring different ideas forward or flag concerns? It’s possible that team members could see the crisis brewing, but did not feel safe highlighting this. Do a safety check to determine the level of psychological safety — if people feel they will be shamed or humiliated for raising tough issues, the company will find itself in crisis mode over and over again. And do specific things to build that safety. I remember working with a leader years ago who was completely resistant to admitting mistakes — which made others hesitant to share theirs.
2. Demonstrate resiliency — Leaders who can communicate the message “this is tough, but we will be okay” can help team members navigate the ups and downs of a challenging situation. This is not ignoring the problem; rather, it’s an acknowledgement of the challenges and showing confidence in the team’s ability to navigate these challenges. During a large-scale restructure, I worked with a leader whose own job was on the line, in addition to the jobs of her team members. Although it was an uncertain time for her personally, she showed our team through her own resilience that we could all get through this together.
3. Show support and empathy — In tough times, team members need to feel like their own needs matter, and that their leader truly cares about them. Ask team members what they need — then listen, and act. Team members need to feel that leaders are genuine and authentic, and not just paying them lip service. One of my leadership clients shared how her own leader checks her phone and emails when in their 1:1 conversations. Demonstrating an inability to listen can have disasterous results in tubulent times, when team members need to feel like leaders are really there for them.
4. Document and discuss lessons learned — A crisis can highlight a failure, or a plan executed differently than expected. Use the crisis as an opportunity to learn — and ask the tough questions. Why did this happen? What events led up to this? What needs to happen now? Specifically what will we do differently next time? What do we know now that we didn’t know before? By opening up the conversation to discuss learnings, you will create a safe space to discuss failure, and accept failure as part of the culture.
5. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable — if things have been done the same way for so long, they no longer respond effectively to the changing environment. So make a point of disrupting the status quo. Challenge processes, solutions and ideas, in order to come up with better processes, better solutions and better ideas. The only way this can happen is by stepping outside of our comfort zone.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Two years ago, I listened to a podcast by Brene Brown that featured leadership expert Doug Conant. He shared a quote which I taped to my wall: “Your life story is your leadership story”. So true!

How can our readers further follow your work?

LinkedIn is one of the best places, as I regularly post on this platform on both career transition and leadership topics. Other places are Brainz Magazine, as I contribute articles and thought leadership on a monthly basis, and my website. I’ve included the links here.

https://ca.linkedin.com/in/michelleschafercoaching

https://www.brainzmagazine.com/executive-contributor/Michelle-Schafer

https://mschafercoaching.ca/

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!