How to Lead When You’re Afraid
It’s 1:30am and I’m lying in bed scrolling through my Twitter feed. So much is happening and changing every minute — and while I’m aware of my mental health taking a toll from all the news consumption, it’s difficult to satiate my need for more information and clarity.
With so much uncertainty, so much out of control, fear begins to set in.
“Is my business going to be okay? What should I tell my team? What’s our runway? Do we really need Asana premium (yes, we do)? Omg do I have enough toilet paper?”
Over the last few weeks, and months for some located in other parts of the world, we’ve been inundated with nonstop news coverage about COVID-19. Every hour seems to escalate our collective sense of urgency and anxiety about what the future holds. News about the stock market crash, mass layoffs, racist incidents, literal battles over scarce goods, are all activating our survival instincts to self-preserve, limiting our opportunities for empathy based human connections.
Now more than ever, we need leaders across all industries and organizations to rise to the occasion and practice thoughtful leadership to strengthen human connections and build resilient teams.
- First, check in with yourself. Are you okay? What do you need to stay whole right now? Your team needs you to stay calm and grounded. Self-care looks different for everyone — we all cope with anxiety and fear differently. An effective self-management for you might look like a 10-minute undisturbed meditation, a 20 minute exercise, making a list of priorities, or calling your trusted friends or mentors. Whatever you need to feel an incremental sense of relief, prioritize it and make it happen.
- Ruthlessly prioritize: In a time of crisis, you need to be ruthless about your and your team’s priorities. Focus on the most urgent and most important tasks right now. Be explicit about what you’re not going to tackle in order to create some spaciousness. Involve your team in this reprioritization exercise so you get everyone’s perspective and buy-in on the path forward.
- Communicate with transparency: Be honest about where the business is and paint as clear as picture as possible around what might happen in the next 3, 6, 12 months. If you don’t have this information, ask for it (that’s your boss’s boss’s job). Try communicating in three categories: 1. What you know for sure, 2. What you predict, and 3. What you’re uncertain about. Communicate how you plan to keep your team informed as the situation evolves. In moments of uncertainty, people desire accurate, reliable information and decisive action plans. Fight the urge to sugarcoat things. Frequent communication is a way to remind your team that you are looking out for their well-being.
- Remember people are not machines: Many of us are feeling anxious and distracted. Many of us are scared and worried about our well-being or the well-being of our loved ones. Expect a decline in productivity and focus. Gently remind people that a decline in productivity is normal during a time of crisis and encourage them to practice compassion with themselves and each other. Don’t skip your 1 on 1s — do a deeper check in with your direct reports so you can hold space for their concerns and needs. Remember, you don’t have to have all the answers or problem-solve. Practicing active listening and extending your empathy will go a long way.
- Set clear expectations and working norms: The vast majority of teams are experiencing remote work for the first time. It’s critical for leaders to set clear expectations so you don’t end up micromanaging or over-monitoring your team’s daily activities. Collaboratively agree on important deadlines and how you’ll update each other on project statuses. Discuss as a team what your remote working norms will be — how often should people check-in with each other? Do we need a daily status meeting? How should we let each other know when we’re away from our laptop? Create clear norms and expectations. And most importantly, trust your team.
- Don’t make assumptions about people’s needs: Everyone has different and unique needs and you may not be aware of them. From different communications needs, systems needs (e.g., does everyone at home have access to reliable internet?), accessibility needs, physical and mental health needs, to caregiving needs…don’t make assumptions about what your team members need and more importantly, make room for people to request different resources or adjustments. You can check-in during your 1-on-1 (remember to honor confidentiality) or send out a survey.
- Know what resources are available and proactively offer them: In addition to checking in with people proactively, disseminate information about what resources are available. Remember that some folks may not want to disclose certain information to you — but they should know how to access the resources.
Last but not least, create opportunities for connections and team building.
We need each other more than ever. At a time when it’s easy to feel like everyone is out for themselves, we need authentic human connections and empathy to ground ourselves. Teams are craving compassion, understanding, and community. Create opportunities for your team to connect and build resilient relationships — leverage video conferencing, informal virtual hangouts, and virtual team-building exercises (if you need help with this, Awaken can help) to boost morale and sense of community. You don’t need to be in-person to make things feel personal.
When all else fails and everything starts to feel too overwhelming, remember that you are not alone. Reach out to your network, ask for help, and don’t suffer in isolation.
Lastly, if you are privileged enough to not worry about your livelihood in the next few weeks, please do your part to care for the most marginalized and impacted communities. There are calls for donations and supplies in every highly impacted city — share direct links in comments and raise awareness about how people can support during this time of need.
Did you find this post helpful? Subscribe to Awaken’s Newsletter!
About Awaken
We exist to create compassionate space for uncomfortable conversations to develop inclusive leaders and teams. We’re tired of surface level conversations around diversity and inclusion — let’s go deeper. It’s time for real conversations with real people. Check out our programs (in-person and virtual interactive workshops) at www.visionawaken.com!
