Update on Reagan: Thank you to all who have expressed their sympathy on his passing; it has meant a lot to us as we celebrate his life and feel less sadness. There’s a void, but the memories make us smile. As we exit this story, it feeds into the topic of how to create emotional consistency as a leader when faced with challenges.
When we are exhausted from overcoming challenges and dealing with overload, we must find the mental fortitude to keep it going. Even when the team bears bad news, we must behave with emotional consistency to tackle it head on. We must rally the troops and foster their creativity and intellectual horsepower to rise above and become better. It’s not firefighting, which can be negative and draining. Instead, we must create positive energy and help the team climb the mountain.
Moving from Chaos to Control
I had a client that needed a certification and we had arrived at that final date. We had worked tirelessly to prepare the team, dotting I’s and crossing t’s to unfortunately come up short with one minor finding. It was not a full system breakdown, nor a crisis, but it was an overwhelming event for the client who expected to come out of this with their certificate. It is rare to receive their certification on the first try, but it was clear they were going to be delayed. The team was a bit emotional and I was as well, but I knew the process. I knew that a thorough investigation into the matter, correcting the deviation and setting up the system to error proof in the future was the path forward. While the team was down, I had renewed energy knowing I could take them through the final few steps to certification. Within hours after the auditor parted, we cleared off the table, created a problem statement, a detailed analysis, had a solution in place and understood how to set up their systems for success. We returned a response to the auditor within a few days and 3 weeks later the client received the certification. When all was said and done, the client said to me, they couldn’t have done it without me. They were panicked and needed a guide to see them to the finish line. In these times, we must be that steady hand to listen, ask questions and guide.
The point of this story: When the team is down, but you can see a path forward, you can energize the team through the challenge for which their pride will shine through. Now I turn to you to provide a framework you can apply to your teams:
Emotional Consistency as a Leader Framework
It’s so easy to get caught up in the details and firefighting. It’s time to show consistency in how you behave. A few simple tips will enable you to be emotionally consistent for your team:
- Breath / slow it down / take a moment before jumping in.
- Listen and ask clarifying questions – slowing it down
- Ask for their opinion or how to address and continue to listen
- With clarity, come forward with clarify the problem and path forward based on the collective input
- Ask, how can you help with next steps?
What this has done is slow things down for you and the team. You remain calm because you’re buying some time to think and process. Your team will feel a sense of calm because you’re not reacting as they may in the moment, but instead responding with steadfast confidence on the course of action.
This consistent calm and clarity seeking persona will help your team remain optimistic and excited to do what is needed.
I once had someone say my voice is so calming despite chaos and I now turn to you to find the calm that is needed for your internal self and what your team needs.
Remember: Slow it down / Listen & clarify / Ask for input/ Ask for solutions/ Clarify the path forward / How can you help.
On a personal note: a past client said my voice is so calming and how it helped the team focus on the problem at hand. When you hear feedback like this, you know you’ve mastered the skill of managing optimism and creating excitement.
Now is the time for you to collect your thoughts and take action.
To hear more about my story about How to create emotional consistency as a leader, please tune into my podcast that is releasing this Friday 5/5/23.
Maybe you simply need a support system to apply these new insights. I find leaders simply need a place to talk through the challenges and that’s why I created The Drop In CEO Collective, a forum for C-Suite leader support. To learn more about our next event, you can visit our page and register.
Would you rather have a quick 1-2-1 to discuss your specific challenge? Could The Drop In CEO be your support system? Direct Message me on LI or contact me via my website and let’s have a conversation. Until then, I wish you much success.