How to Lead People Through Tough Times
How to Lead People Through Tough Times
It's clear that all organisations face tough times, particularly reactively as a result of COVID-19. As a leader and manager of a team, it's essential that you're able to motivate your team, effectively resolve challenges, not just to survive, but to thrive.
We've put together our key insights for managers to help lead your team through uncertain times:
- Don't let fear infect minds
- Keep your language positive: A better future is coming
- Assess the goal and decide whether it must change
- Assess the plan and determine how the plan must change
- Communicate the new goal and the new plan, often and well
- Make rational decisions based upon a logical evaluation of all the available evidence
- Make steady progress
1. Don't let fear infect minds.
Fear is a negative motivator. When people are afraid, they don't think rationally and they become hesitant and doubtful. These are NOT the qualities that will help improve the situation. Leaders should eliminate fear from their own mind and from the minds of others. How do we eliminate fear?
We control our language. We ensure that we keep language positive.
2. Keep your language positive: A better future is coming.
Fear is based upon a belief that the future will be worse than the present. Optimism is based upon the belief that the future will be better.
To replace fear with optimism, talk about the future being better than the present. Find reasons to justify the claim that the present difficulties are temporary, and that the big picture is still bright and optimistic.
This language will make you and everyone else feel stronger. This is the language of leadership. This is explained further within our conflict management training.
3. Assess the goal and decide whether the team's goal must change.
The change in circumstances may necessitate a change in the organisation's priorities. The goal to expand may be replaced by a goal to contract.
If the goal needs to change within your team setting, then make the decision and change it.
4. Assess the plan and determine how the plan must change.
Any major change in circumstances and/or goal will necessitate a corresponding change in the plan.
As a leader, it's important to assemble the team, make the necessary decisions and communicate the new plans across the team to achieve the new agreed goal.
5. Communicate the new goal and new plan, clearly and often.
Whatever changes the leaders make, should be communicated clearly to the rest of the organisation.
Failure to communicate the goal and the plan with your team, will create an information void in the minds of employees. This void will be quickly filled by speculation, fear mongering and guesswork.
Leaders must NOT permit speculation, fear mongering and guesswork to become dominant in the organisation. The way to prevent that is to communicate clearly and often.
6. Make rational decisions based upon a logical evaluation of all the available evidence.
Leaders are paid to make decisions. Ideally, they should make the right decisions. Wrong decisions are irrational, impulsive, or are made out of emotional knee-jerk reactions.
Right decisions come as a result of logical evaluations of all the available evidence.
Leaders must think and act logically, rationally: not emotionally, based on fear, panic or guesswork.
7. Make steady progress.
Life on Earth is governed by the laws of evolution. Evolution is based upon the principle of making progress by means of continually adapting to changing environments. Evolutionary change is slow, persistent, progressive and never ending. It is relentless adjustment, but invariably in the direction of life, productivity and growth.
Business is governed by the same set of evolutionary laws. We adapt, change and modify our actions to take into account the negative change in circumstance. But we continue with a commitment to work towards our goals by means of productive effort, rationally organised, in the pursuance of growth.
If you're seeking to develop skills in your leadership team or personally excel as manager, discover our Leadership and Management training course and contact the team of experienced leaders to find out further information .
About the Author: Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years’ experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.
Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.
Blogs by Email
Do you want to receive an email whenever we post a new blog? The blogs contain article 5-10 minutes long - ideal for reading during your coffee break!
Further Reading in Leadership and Management
-
Women in Leadership
Women have made great strides in their search for equality, but there is still much to be done. In the world of work, women need to be empowered to feel stronger, more confident and to never hold back.
Read Article > -
How to Excel in Impression Management
Excel in Impression Management: The key to Leadership Success, is about adding value through actions, words, and conduct, not duplicity. Superior leaders consistently add value.
Read Article > -
People Management Skills
Proper people management is a set of personal skills that combine to allow to inspire the best from every member of the team. Learn more in this article.
Read Article > -
A Rational Approach to Leadership and Management
Treat all problems and all people according to the principles of reason. Humans are more than a mere Naked Ape. Their rational mind sets them apart from all other animals.
Read Article > -
How to be a Positive Leader
Being a positive leader is about using positive motivators to inspire your teams. So, what motivates employees and how can you use positive motivators to incentivise them?
Read Article >
Looking for Leadership and Management Training?
If you're looking to develop your Leadership and Management Skills, you may find this Leadership and Management Training Course beneficial:
Open Training Course Pricing and Availability
Next Open Course Starts in 10 days, Online - Teams, places available