Stress, confusion, fear, and anxiety reduce our team’s effectiveness in the middle of a crisis. The Captain must make adjustments to his/her routine in order to help the team navigate towards safer waters. Two things the best leaders I work with do during a crisis:
Move to the Front Lines. This is a military analogy but it works. Get down where the action is happening, shorten communication lines. Be in position to make decisions and adjustments without delay. Don’t tie up your key leaders in conference rooms for long conversations and reports when they too, need to be leading the action.
Communicate More Frequently. Give status reports at least daily, let the team know the next steps in the plan, refresh and review the vision. Ask for ideas and information, then listen with empathy to the feedback.
These #XtraMile actions will give the team confidence and reduce the stress, confusion, fear, and anxiety.