Leading Through Hard Stuff: Three things to focus on

Leading Through Hard Stuff: Three things to focus on

By virtue of being a little bit older and having the privilege of running a big public company for a long time, I’ve had to manage through some really hard stuff. First Hurricane Andrew, which destroyed our Miami-based company and many of our employees’ homes. Then 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, and many smaller, but nonetheless challenging, events. It’s not hyperbole to say I sometimes wanted to retreat into my office and curl up under my desk. But giving into my naturally introverted tendencies is a luxury I didn’t have when employees, clients, and partners were distressed and looking for answers.

I’m grateful that I can look back at those experiences positively now because they were valuable learning opportunities. While the COVID-19 virus is uniquely challenging on a worldwide scale, I’ve synthesized a couple of things that really helped me in the past. This is what I’m focused on with my team now. I hope you find these suggestions as helpful as I have these past several weeks.

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The most important consideration right now is your people. Spend as much time as you can with them. Find out what people are struggling with on an individual level. If they know that you know, it can alleviate some of the stress of trying to continue as normal. I’ve found that most people are much more candid on video than even in-person. You just need to give them an opening and you may be surprised what they are willing to share. I firmly believe we, in business, don’t really know each other at the heart-level. Now is an opportunity to dig deep into what helps your team work best.

Model this as a leader by setting up group and individual calls. Probe a little deeper than “how are you?” and be willing to share some of your own honest challenges. Then you can encourage your team members to connect this way with each other. I’m seeing all new working pairs and groups spring up since GXG has been working from home, and we’re a very small company!









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Once you know their challenges, you can tailor productivity goals to each individual. We all have different levels of capacity in uncertain times. You can manage team-wide forward momentum with a daily check-in. We do a daily wrap-up around 4:15 PM where everyone can report out on their progress for the day. It keeps us all accountable, but it’s also somewhat informal, a chance to stay engaged when we can’t all be in the office together.

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Does a daily check-in sound like too much? It’s not. I firmly believe you should communicate as much as you think is necessary, then double it! As I mentioned above, I’m an introvert and this doesn’t come naturally to me. However, I’ve seen incredible boosts in morale and productivity by simply staying connected. I asked a week ago if we should quit our daily round-ups but no one wanted to!

Don’t forget to extend communication opportunities to your clients and partners. What was important before will be important again. Remind them that you are available for help, advice, or just a listening ear.

If you’re interested in a little more in-depth piece, I’ve also written a cover story for my publisher’s newsletter this week. I hope you’ll connect with me on LinkedIn and let me know what’s been working for you and your team right now.

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Recognize that leading and working right now is hard. Your job as a leader is to model open communication, flexibility, and a sincere interest in how your people are managing personally and professionally.

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