{"id":2675,"date":"2021-03-16T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stokegrowth.com\/?p=2675"},"modified":"2022-11-17T08:23:16","modified_gmt":"2022-11-17T16:23:16","slug":"leadership-in-times-of-crisis-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stokegrowth.com\/leadership-in-times-of-crisis-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership in times of crisis – Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Leadership of others \u2013 managing staff & clients<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When chaos strikes, it will send the normal order of your operations into disarray. When this happens, your team of followers (whether that is your employees or your clients) will feel the effects and instantly respond. Most of them will have a low tolerance for change and uncertainty which will cause them to \u201ctrigger\u201d and respond with erratic emotional behaviour.  It is important to remember that this is normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Understanding emotional responses of people in times of crisis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For most people, the unknown is a very scary place and it causes them to have an emotional response.<\/a>  It\u2019s extreme.  It\u2019s very intense.  It\u2019s not normal and it\u2019s not<\/em> business as usual.  It affects everyone differently at different times.  Since Covid started, we have seen a 500% increase in the amount of strange things that have happened to the wonderful people that work in small business.  There is a lot taking place emotionally, because it truly is a extremely emotional time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Your Team:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An employee can be steady and straight, \u201cbusiness as usual\u201d, very productive and doing an exceptional job and moments later (literally hours later) they can be in an emotional overwhelm (shut down).  There could be heavy emotions \u2013 like tears, or they could just be irritated.  All of those things can happen in the same day and do happen every single time that this overwhelm takes place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What do they need from me? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes it’s nothing more than you listening.  Be a good listener<\/a> \u2013 turn on your ears and ask, \u201cHow are you doing?<\/em>\u201d or, \u201cWhat do you think about that?<\/em>\u201d or, \u201cWhat are you feeling?<\/em>\u201d  When you ask questions, let them be open-ended questions (that can\u2019t be answered with a yes or a no).  Try to get them talking.  Why?  Because emotions are very unique in the sense that they need to be processed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emotions come from the back of our brain and when we have an emotional response, the best way to deal with that (and the best way to get people to calm down) is to actually listen<\/em> to them and let them have the emotions they need to.  They will go all the way to the bottom and then they will pop and come back up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will never be able to talk to someone logically out of an emotional response.  It will never happen.  Therefore, the best thing that you can do is listen \u2013 it\u2019s the Number 1 skill<\/strong>.  You don\u2019t have to solve the problem; you don\u2019t even have to get into it.  They may find the solutions or opportunities themselves, \u201cI guess I could do this or that<\/em>\u201d.  It will be less work for you than to try to solve the problem on your own but, it will<\/em> require you to slow<\/em> down and stay focussed on your people to get them there themselves.  They will not do anything productively until they are calm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Areas up for discussion:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n