Grace and Compassion through Crisis

The concepts of grace and compassion - for self and those you work and live with - has increasingly come to the fore over the last several weeks.   I apply that assessment and reality to myself as well as to my clients and their organizations.  Working with a variety of leaders and organizations, I have had a bit of a ring side seat to see how the COVID-19 - and related/unrelated economic impacts - have played out for their teams.  Some seem to have strengthened and managed well.  Others have been characterized by various levels of discord and sometimes outright conflict.

Make no mistake.  The impacts we are experiencing are highly variable.  Some organizations and businesses are running on the treadmill like never before.  If you are in the business of personal protective equipment, supply chain management, trucking, digital technology and foodstuffs, the bottom line may be looking quite robust and well beyond "normal" projections.  If your business is any way related to providing personalized services like massage therapy and hair-styling or needs/has to operate with a requirement for large volume attendance, like movie theatres, the bottom has likely dropped out with concerns about short- to medium-term viability.  In between all of that we have some businesses and organizations whose teams are being impacted differentially.  In this case I can think of the healthcare sector. Those working on direct care patient care = all hands on deck.  For those with more distant affiliation to that current focus = potentially having their priorities put on ice.  In other circumstances, hiring as many direct care staff as is possible and/or increasing their hours.  For others, even going so far as layoffs.

And this just relates to the varied work-related impacts.  This doesn't begin to take into account the myriad home-based and personal realities that we are dealing with.  And those realities are very different.  We have seem negative reaction and push-back to celebrities endorsing physical distancing - as they send their video messages from their palatial homes with every amenity possible to them and grand spaces that provide opportunities to both engage with and find distance from other family members as required.  We see increasing number of (hopefully isolated) protests in some urban centres seeking to end the lockdown's.  We've seen the rush on toilet paper, hand sanitizer and weapons all based on fear of "what if".  The impacts for individuals are as varied as their circumstances - young or old, single or married, with kids or not kids, being in the same city as extended family or not, remaining employed or not, having a financial cushion or not, having somebody in a care facility or not, having access to technology (e.g., FaceTime) or not.

Then there are your own personal resilience reserves.  Like it or not, those reserves are pretty much what we had when we entered this particular fray.  They are a function of our life experience prior to all of this, how much adversity we have previously experienced, how "centred" we are (e.g., understanding our own values and life purpose), how connected we have been to others (e.g., did we/do we have a support network), our self-care practices, and our perspective on the world and ourselves (e.g., do we see ourselves as victims of fate or creators of our own destiny?).  I certainly believe there are things we can do in this time to support our resilience but a bit more challenging to enhance resilience if we feel under duress than in other less stressful times.

What does this all have to do with Grace and Compassion?  Clearly these are not normal times.  As a leader you are going to have to find a way to navigate these times for yourself AND for your team.  First, understand and OWN this reality.  Maybe you believe you are navigating these rough waters quite well.  However, I would encourage you to challenge that belief or assumption.  Objectively evaluate your current capacity.  These are not normal times.  Even this honest exercise may demonstrate a degree of courage, honesty and vulnerability that might be beneficial to the teams you lead.

What can you do for your teams right now to provide them with the necessary grace and compassion through this crisis AND help them have grace and compassion for each other?  Several opportunities come to mind:

• Recognize the differential impact that may be playing out for your team members.  This may be a function of their life circumstances (e.g., married, kids, caring for elderly parents, etc.), a function of other personal capacities and experiences, or even their ability/capacity to work "virtually" or not as now being required.  A "one-size" approach to leading them is not appropriate nor would a "buck-up" mentality be helpful.  Situational leadership writ large!
• Reinforce that everyone is trying to do their best under trying circumstances.  Under stress, we all do things that are not necessarily our normal or best behavior. We might be physically, emotionally, or mentally exhausted.  We may have a "straw that broke the camel's back" moment.  Help your team to give each other the benefit of the doubt and provide space to calm the waters.  Be present with each other at this time.
• Confirm and clarify priorities.  Right now there is an increased chance for confusion as information mixes with rumor about what the next phase of the crisis response may have to look like.  Focus, clarity and succinct communication has never been more important.  Don't overwhelm your team with data and speculation.  Keep it simple Simon (KISS).  Less is likely more right now, particularly if people on your team are feeling overwhelmed or not quite on their game.
• Provide an appropriate forum for them to share their challenges AND their potential solutions. Even this simple opportunity to connect and share experience can be a powerful tool to support connection and instill some sense of control for each of them.  While our mind can be a dangerous neighborhood to go into alone the opportunity to know that they need not be isolated can perhaps shed some cobwebs for all.
• Maintain presence and connection.  This is important at all times but perhaps even more so with physical distancing requirements and in crisis mode.  The greatest value in this will be in utilizing virtual opportunities to not just conduct business but demonstrate sincere empathy and recognition for the work being done by your team.  If you can model that leadership, empathy and recognition you can set the tone for how your team shows up for each other.
• Demonstrate confidence in your team, empower them and enable them.  There may be an increased temptation to micro-manage every detail of crisis management right now.  However, if you have been clear on priorities and engaged in good communication the need to "take over" should be mitigated.  Allow your team to be meaningfully engaged and even appropriately "distracted" by their work right now.  That simple act alone may help them manage through.
• Manage the pace.  In many cases right now you might be feeling that you need to run at a sprint pace.  Unfortunately, you are engaged in a marathon distance (or ultra-marathon).  The sprint pace is not sustainable.  You will have to find the courage to slow yourself down and slow your team down if you want to remain effective and functional over the next number of weeks or months.  

We are going to get through this.  The question is how much stronger or weaker we will arrive on the other side.  How many of our people will still be with us in body or spirit once the current crisis passes.  The answer to that question will likely relate to how much grace and compassion we have shown for each other and ourselves.  

And that IS about leadership!

_________________________________________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC

President & Founder - BreakPoint Solutions

gregh@breakpoint.solutions 

www.breakpoint.solutions 

780-250-2543

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

Time for a BreakPoint

BreakPoint Solutions as a the name for our leadership development and consultancy firm was a very deliberate and purposeful decision.  Not that the naming of any company or venture is ever random.  But as it was launched there was a realization that there was an opportunity to capture the essence of what we were going to be about, who we wanted to be, and what we hoped to achieve.  The definition is intended to convey the power of coaching, leadership self-awareness and strategic intent that encompasses our work here at BreakPoint:

"an intentional stopping point or place to pause, an opportunity to derive new knowledge, establish commitment to a new direction in one's career or life...allowing one to evaluate a current path, effort and results, inspect one's environment, and reset for future success."

The reality of COVID-19 has put us all into a definitive - if involuntary - pause and, at the very least, a short-term enforced resetting of priorities.  There has been a vast amount of speculation as to what the future holds or what it should hold while we ride out a storm with no definitive end date.  We keep speculating as to when life will return to "normal" - end of April, mid-May, end of June... never??  We have reasonable belief that a vaccine is still at least a year out and that it is reasonable to expect another wave, or more, of COVID-19 will haunt us into the fall and perhaps beyond.  Vigilance and reinforcement of new health and social norms will be asked and required of us.

So beyond managing and/or leading through this how can we as leaders and individuals effectively and constructively use this pause.  One of the requirements of leaders in particular is NOT to just get caught up in the crisis of the moment.  We are singularly called to think strategically, keep our "eyes up", and chart a course across the stormy waters to the murky future.  As leaders we also have to act to calm the waters for those who we pruport to lead - not add gas to the proverbial fire.  Easier said than done I know.  I also realize that for some businesses the long-term is currently being measured in just months, weeks or even days - all as we keep an eye on the cash reserves and bills that still keep coming in.  

As an executive coach, entrepreneur, and small business owner I have always tried to practice what I preach.  Not to simply throw tools, templates and resources at my clients without actually putting those same tools to use in developing and guiding my business and personal development.  

So what has this pause meant to me? How am I remaining strategic and even visionary while riding the waves of this storm-tossed sea?  How am using this BreakPoint?

I've gone back to at least two tools or resources at present.  At the first and simplest level I've gone back to review my own leadership and personality assessments.  This includes emotional intelligence, Total Strengths Deployment Inventory (TSDI) and Myers-Briggs.  Why am I doing this? I recognize that I am - and we all are - operating under new, sustained and significant stresses in all aspects of  life (personal and professional) and likely not operating from the best place.  So the review of these results helps make the unconscious conscious, arms me with a better ability (with some conscious effort) to slow down and reset, and ultimately be in a better place to continue to be relatively sane, productive and present for others.

The other core tool for me is my own personal business plan.  While I have always approached the concept of this plan - and strategic planning in general - as a dynamically supportive process and document, it is abundantly clear that the assumptions that informed this plan at its annual update in August last year have been radically upended.  The growth curve that has characterized my entrepreneurial venture since 2012 is going to be flattened.  That is reality.  

I still, however, have choice in terms of how I respond to that reality.  For some, the current crisis might reinforce the futility of planning at all.  What's the point?  We are merely railing against the wind and creating the delusion of control.  I don't believe that.  I'm not content to believe that I am merely subject to the winds of predetermined fate. I don't believe that any of us can truly function without a sense of our core self and a desired future state we wish to achieve.  But then I have always remained idealistic despite a number of significant bumps in both my personal and professional life.  

This is where the value of my personal business plan comes into play.  This is more than just a plan for the business of BreakPoint Solutions or my own individual coaching/consulting practice.  It encompasses concepts of Mission, Vision, Values, short through long-term objectives, strategies and tactics.  It also encompasses the entirety of planning for the WHOLE of me - personal, family, and professional. 

The need for review of the plan has been reinforced by the new environmental reality.  That reality and my review has reinforced the essential soundness of my Mission and Vision.  I am confident that I am pursuing the right things for the right reasons.  

Strategies, tactics and targets for this year are definitely going to be changing - and this also provides opportunity to ensure that I am living in accordance to my stated Values.  So while things like family vacations in Florida have been cancelled and Ironman competition in August hangs in the balance, what has been reinforced is the need to spend quality time with my loved ones.  Balance and Fun remain essential.  We just need to do it differently right now.

From a business and professional standpoint, my Values and the rest of my plan call me to continue to focus on being of service to my clients.  Coaching has never been more relevant to those being challenged by these circumstances or having to work virtually.  Connection versus isolation.  This pause has also afforded me the opportunity to invest in a range of offerings that have been in my idea bucket for months if not years.  I've pulled the trigger on getting some of these products trademarked and copyrighted.  I'm still building the "legacy" for years to come despite short-term challenges.

Long story short, this pause, while quite unwelcome, can form the basis for resetting, getting further clarity on what is important and what is necessary, and thus set the foundation for greater strength coming out of the storm when it passes.

So use this BreakPoint to your best advantage.  Slow down to go fast.  Establish and confirm your priorities.  Build hope for yourself, your team and your family.  We can use this enforced pause to advantage.  We can build stronger foundations.  We can continue to live our Mission fully and achieve our long-term Vision. It's About Leadership and It's About Leadership of Self.  

_________________________________________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC

President & Founder - BreakPoint Solutions

gregh@breakpoint.solutions 

www.breakpoint.solutions 

780-250-2543

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

Being the Eye of the Storm

The last several days and weeks have been unlike anything we have ever experienced before.  The reality of COVID-19 and our need to respond to its challenge on a personal, organizational, community, national and global level has been compared to the Great Depression, the total war effort of World War II, and even the Black Death.  At this point we don't know the full scope of what will transpire in the short-term (much less the long-term) with such timeline being measured in hours, days and at best weeks.  We have seen models and projections both in terms of lives that may be lost, economic havoc to be visited and being visited upon employment and business survival, and time over which COVID-19 may be with us.

The challenge to leadership - your leadership - has likely never been greater than it is now or may ever be through the rest of your career.  In some cases you are being called upon to make decisions - right now - that you believe are going to make the difference to the survival of your business or organization.  You also may be juggling issues of how those short-term survival decisions will impact the long-term viability of your business as well.  You are walking a delicate tightrope of short-term and long-term decisions and impacts.  For some of you, particularly in healthcare, you are also making decisions which literally have life and death consequences.

So what truly are you called upon to be as leader at this time?  This metaphorical hurricane is upon us and the winds are tearing away at the fabric of our shared reality.  Your role as a leader is not to pull yourself from the storm, nor always dive in amongst the lashing winds and rain, but rather to be the eye in the storm for those you lead and serve.

This is going to call upon all your reserves, courage and discipline that you can muster.  And you do have tools to make that happen.  But you will need to create a plan, hold to a plan and create some supports to help you execute that plan.  Here are my thoughts on the kernels of a plan to support your personal leadership so that you can effectively lead in and through this storm we are in.

Get CRYSTAL CLEAR on the REAL Priorities - in the walls of the storm there is a lot of flotsam and jetsam being thrown about.  It will be easy to get distracted by everything coming at you and being thrown at you by your the full range of your stakeholders.  Get focused on what the true critical priorities are at this time and continuously reinforce and uphold those priorities for yourself and your team.  Calm the waters as best you can.  When new requests or initiatives come up come back to the priorities you all agreed had to guide you to begin with.

Clarify and Hold to Your Values - what is going to guide your personal and organizational actions at this trying time?  Solidify your understanding of your true north.  Understand what tradeoffs you are going to have to make right now.  Get comfortable with the uncomfortable.  Appreciate and own that you and your team are making the best decisions you can with the information available to you right now.  If staff and client/customer safety is #1 your actions need to be so guided.  If economic viability is #1 make it so.

Take Time to Breathe - despite your belief that your presence and insight is required 24/7 over the next number of days, the reality is that such effort is not only not sustainable it will actually become largely counterproductive.  Maintaining or trying to maintain such a high adrenaline pace will progressively diminish your mental, physical and emotional capacity.  As you maintain the sprint effort during the course of this marathon you will falter.  You will need to exercise the discipline to disengage - even on a daily basis - to maintain your balance so that you can maintain the balance the rest of your team is going to need. Go slow to go fast if you wish to finish this race.

Self-Care - Beyond taking time to breathe on a regular basis, you are going to have to ensure the basics of proper sleep, nutrition and mental distraction for the duration of this.  Failure to take these necessary steps will continue to erode your leadership capacity.  If your health erodes you will be in no position to serve or save anyone else.

Stay Connected - it's lonely at the top.  And these days - with spatial distancing - its lonely in the bottom and the middle as well.  One of the very real challenges in leadership at the best of times is believing that we have to take on the challenges we face alone.  This is a leadership fallacy from the "good times" and is a critical failure waiting to happen if we carry gallantly and alone now.  Find a way to stay connected with your team, with a confidante, with other leaders - or even your executive coach.  Our mind is a dangerous neighborhood to go into alone...

Sustain Hope - as hard as it is to believe now, this too shall pass.  The storm will subside.  One of your critical roles in leadership will be to provide a sense of balance, hope and optimism for those in your charge. You can only do this if you develop and maintain for yourself a positive vision for the future post storm.  You can only do this if you don't allow yourself to become overwhelmed and exhausted in the current fight.  Give yourself just a bit of space to imagine a world that is calmer, if different, after the storm clouds have broken and the sun shines once again.

I leave you with the poetic verse of Rudyard Kipling.  While the first verse seems to speak most strongly to the calming presence required of leadership right now, I believe there is strength in its entirety.  Stay well, stay well, and stay sane.

“If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all ... doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with [Royalty] - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all [people] count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a [Leader], my [love]!” 

- Rudyard Kipling...

_________________________________________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC

President & Founder - BreakPoint Solutions

gregh@breakpoint.solutions 

www.breakpoint.solutions 

780-250-2543

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.