Turning fear into optimism for the future
Are you feeling fearful as a leader?
Turns out, you're not alone. More and more conversations I've had with leaders in the last several weeks have centred around the topic of fear. People are fearful of what's happening externally when it comes to economic variables. Others are fearful of navigating the nuances and complexities of employees who are engaged in the latest trend(s) of "quiet quitting" or "rage applying."
Fear of change. Fear of innovation. Fear of being judged by their peers.
Fear is often rooted in the unknown. When we don't know how something is going to unfold, or what's going to happen next, we can experience fear.
We've lost a lot of structure through COVID and, with that, a lot of what we considered normal. We no longer necessarily have a sense of what's coming next. While the shift has brought some much-needed flexibility and change to an archaic workforce structure, the foundation — the fundamentals — are now starting to crumble. And with that, we land into a space of fear. When you don't have direction yourself or you know things aren't getting done, that creates anxiety and stress.
It's those fundamentals that bring us balance and direction; working from a place of strategic direction, with Objective Key Results (OKR) and clear focus points for leaders and employees alike. But with ADHD on the rise in adults and our ability to focus on one thing at a time rapidly decreasing, how do we even do that?
The latest research shows we can hold attention to one thing for 47 seconds. And once we're distracted, it's a solid 25 minutes to bring our focus back to what we were working on before. Let's think through how we can possibly write an effective strategic plan for an organization to be more innovative and creative over the next five years, when we're working in 47 second increments.
Instead, we stay stuck in a place of fear and uncertainty, without a clear path forward. And what…hope for the best?
We need to shift from a place of fear to one of optimism. We need to get back to the fundamentals. And that starts with you as a leader.
How is your personal wellness? I can't show up as a partner, as a parent or as a professional if my own personal wellness isn't taken care of. If I'm not taking days off, or giving myself the space to breathe.
Once you've got your personal wellness balanced, then it's time for some tough conversations. Be the leader. Work with your Board and Executive team to establish a strategic plan with clear objectives and deliverables. Have hard conversations with your staff about not only accountability but empowerment. How can you empower them to support the overall mission of the organization? Be candid. Be transparent. Lead by example. And lead with purpose.
Fear doesn't have to be crippling. Turn it into a challenge to better yourself as a leader and to move your organization forward into a new generation.