Motivation in challenging times

Why emotions are more important than ever

Niels Brabandt

Published in

Leadership Magazine by Niels Brabandt / NB Networks

3 min readMay 19, 2020

Work. This term became a core aspect of our society.

Key to wealth, freedom and social status connects with it. We learned to appreciate work and even to accept behaviour which is, politely said, strange to unacceptable. We applied the same reaction when the crisis happened. Work as long as possible.

Go home at the latest point and, if possible, as the last person when your employer tells you to do so. Now, we are on the brink of a situation which slowly gets better — returning to what we knew before? Certainly not.

Facts come first

People who work for will immediately realise when an aspect of their work changes. Their see and feel your change of mood. They acknowledge nervous behaviour from the management and leadership team. This challenge will not be solved with an, often much too long, email to everyone assuring that it is ‘all going to be okay’. Also, people realise quickly when your motivational emails are nothing else than perseverance slogans. A classic motivational statement is an allusion to the Chinese language. In Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ consists of two signs. One means crisis and the other one means chance. “See the crisis as a chance” is often a statement from bad leadership teams. Usually, this only shows that a long time ago, you lost contact with the reality of which challenges your employees will soon face in their daily lives. State the facts. Insecurity will lead to rumours spreading around the organisation. These rumours never reflect on positive aspects but focus even more on negative hearsay aspects of a challenging situation.

Numbers are important, but…

I hope no controller who read this headline got a heart attack from it. Without a doubt, numbers are essential. Especially with the leadership team, you must be able to solve a difficult situation. Knowing your KPIs is a necessary aspect of it. Still, it is not a wise choice to use these numbers to show your people the status quo. Many will criticise decisions from the past. Hirings, promotions, bonuses, decisions for or against certain investments, choice of company cars, preference of travel and accommodation for the leadership team. Show understanding for your people. Appeal to their emotions. Offer help for the most challenging situations which are most relevant for them right now. Emotions win people sustainably. Numbers only make you a winner in Microsoft Excel.

Allow emotions

Society trains us not to show any emotions. This behaviour deeply roots in our daily routine and unspoken ‘code of conduct’ in our offices. I even met someone who told me on the London tube that “You’re not a Londoner when you have not cried on the tube”. A heartbreaking story of a fiancé who broke up the day before the marriage should happen followed. When leaving the tube at Piccadilly Circus, the person said “Now it’s work. That’s not the place for emotions.”. Always avoiding to show emotions is harmful to your mental health. Offer help early and allow people to speak out what they think. As a leader, a crisis shows the best and the worst of your skills. Your call now.

For you, all the best implementing this in your organisation.

I am here to help.