Leading Teams and Communication During Turbulent Times
In turbulent times, communication and leading become extremely tough. Very strong and confident leadership is required when it comes to handling complicated crises like the Coronavirus pandemic we are facing right now. In this article, we are going to discuss leading teams and communication in turbulent times.
Always Try to Build Resilience
In times of intense difficulty or crisis, the connection becomes a very crucial element. Therefore, you must aim to provide opportunities for individuals to connect and share their experiences. In turn, this will help your team build resilience. Also, you should always aim to internally strengthen the connection within the team. Do not at any point try and slide into silos. You must not be suffering individually in silence.
Consider Building a Sense of Control
In turbulent times, everything seems to be spinning out of control. Therefore, it is only natural that your team might start feeling quite powerless and victimized during these times. Now, in order to help your team shift their negative mindset you need to start communicating effectively. Try to empathize and listen and then give them a sense of control. As a leader, it is your sole responsibility to not encourage your team to remain in the victim-mode for long.
Change Your Style of Communication
If you are a skilled leader then you will know how to change your communication to suit the situation at hand. Therefore, you need to consider changing your style of communication during a crisis. While some prefer to share their personal feelings with their team, many may want to focus solely on the processes for responding to the situation. Learn which mode of communication works best for your team and the situation and then adapt accordingly.
Your Communication Should be Crystal Clear
When it comes to significantly turbulent times, it is almost impossible to over-communicate. When in a crisis, you must provide your team with an inspirational and motivating vision of a way forward to the future. You can use the help of metaphors here very effectively. You can let your team know how the present crisis is similar to climbing a mountain or perhaps navigating stormy seas. Storytelling and metaphors are very powerful tools that can help you as a leader deal with crises. They will help your team make sense of the chaos, which in turn, will lower their anxiety.
Consider Taking Care of Yourself Above All
If you as a leader do not take care of your physical or mental health then you won’t be able to lead your team in any way. Start exercising and eating healthily. Do things that fill up your tank first. It is imperative in times like this.
Hold On Tightly
Lastly, you must be aware of the fact that this crisis is similar to all other crises; it will disappear soon enough. You need to make sure that you hold on tightly. Do not let this situation throw you off your balance.
This brings us to the end of our discussion on leading teams and communication in turbulent times. Now, let us know some of your personal thoughts regarding the matter.
