“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why”
Cheesy quote? Maybe— but all around us, heroes are emerging.
Healthcare workers. Cashier. Stockroom associates. Postal Service & shipping companies. Truckers who are keeping our supply chains running. Distilleries pivoting from making vodka to hand sanitizer, people sewing masks. Teachers adapting to virtual learning. Small businesses who continue to stay open for their employees and communities.
Jon Bon Jovi is even writing a song about it… I love this line.
When you can't do what you do, you do what you can.
What I know for sure is that it is during these times when leaders emerge. For some, they will find their new calling. This is not “Field of Dreams” stuff— it’s legit and it will happen. Just watch. If you can take your own emotions out of it for a minute, you will be amazed at the sheer bravery and leadership that is emerging.
I know I have learned from many and when I do watch the news, I am continuing to draw from these examples— we owe it to each other to share our collective wisdom so we can pull through like champs.
Here are some of my observations I’ve made about great LEADERS I’ve seen:
Communication
I know, this seems like a no-brainer — but in times of trouble, lines of communications contract almost instantaneously.
Have you have had a muscle cramp? One minute your fine, and then your muscle seizes up, it’s painful, and it is involuntary. You need to stop what you’re doing and breathe. For a period of time, there’s nothing you can do— but when the immediate cramp wears off, you can do things to recover quickly and get back to your business.
In 20 years in Corporate America, I have never seen this NOT happen during a crisis. But if you can regroup, breathe, and get your plan together (who, what, when, where and how), it will eventually settle down.
Agility
Notice here … the word is not “flexibility”. And it’s not because flexibility isn’t critically important— but because agility requires you to be nimble. It is, the ability to move and think quickly and easily.
If you’re a leader of people, there is always a trade off between making a sound decision and making a fast one when there are unknown variables. The key is to strike the right balance — make a call with the information you have, and communicate the hell out of it.
If you’re a leader of process, it is equally as important to understand the macro environment you’re in and make changes as necessary without your ego getting in the way. No room for pride of ownership.
Agility is not license to be careless, it’s quite the opposite. It’s to be focused, thoughtful, and above all, decisive.
Compassion
You know that saying “keep business and personal separate?” Frankly, it’s a load.
No, you aren’t going to meddle in someone’s marriage or tell them how to parent or whether they should vaccinate their kid. But you ARE going to do your best to understand that your employees and customers have lives, and knowing what makes them tick is going to be helpful when the going gets rough.
Think of when someone asked you about something you were passionate or worried about. Was it a family member? Was it a hobby or a pet project? Was it a vacation? Think of how that made you feel, that they remembered and cared enough to ask.
MAKE OTHERS FEEL THAT WAY.
EVERY DAY.