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Leadership in Challenging Times: Keeping Positivity in Times of Crisis

It has been literally a year since I started this blog and almost a year since my last post on supporting staff teams working remotely during this pandemic (April 17th). To say that it has been a challenging year, is an understatement. In that last post I shared tips for managing and leading staff teams remotely which included:

  • Nurturing one's relationship with the staff team
  • Being responsive and proactive
  • Using technology to stay connected
  • Allowing feelings to show that one cares
  • Being a resource to the team
  • Supporting staff development
  • Promoting a culture of self-care and resilience building
  • Being positive and taking care of oneself

Little did I know that this pandemic would force us to do all of the above instinctively in order for us to survive. I will risk saying that we also have learned many valuable lessons as we were and continue to be forced to examine our values and what is important to us. We have been forced to really reflect on our past behaviors and attitudes.

At the onset of the pandemic we experienced a heightened sense of vulnerability as we watched loved- ones infected and many lives taken by Covid-19. We worked and continue to work very hard to get away from the crisis mode we were all operating from, to establish a sense of control and begin to better respond to the circumstances.

Many of us enhanced our relationships with our teams while others found ways to start a connection. Working remotely became the norm for many of us and many managers found themselves needing to ensure that conditions were created so that staff could continue to work. Home became our work environments and many of us developed negotiation skills to ensure space was shared fairly and effectively amongst family members or roommates.

We  continue to use technology to stay connected, to meet about work, to supervise our staff teams and in the process became victims to virtual platform fatigue. We continue to have many conversations about the impact of the pandemic on our work and personal lives. We are all experiencing information overload as we receive and send tons of emails about the latest pandemic news, virtual workshops and learning opportunities, surveys about the impact of the pandemic, etc...

Practicing self-care and building resiliency have never been so relevant and promoted as they right now! I am pleased to see that mental wellness has been raised as critical to overall wellbeing. I believe that this opens the door for the de-stigmatization of mental illness. I don't know about anyone else, but the thought of us continuing to be restricted and work from home while witnessing the increase in service needs without being able to do much, scares me. I have tried to be a resource for my team and still I believe more is needed to support staff teams to address the increase in service needs so that staff are not having to struggle on their own to fill the gaps caused by this pandemic.


It can be very difficult to stay positive and to put on a brave face to convey to our staff teams that we are in this together and that it will get better when we (managers) may feel overwhelmed ourselves. However, if we have invested in our relationships with our staff teams, most likely they will have compassion and understanding for us if and when we are not at our best. It is important for us to continue to take care of ourselves so that we can model the behavior we want to see in our staff teams. Also it is important that they see us taking care of ourselves because when we take care of ourselves and it is visible, staff teams won't feel guilty if they need you to hold down the forte.

I hope you all have been able to cope and support your teams, seek for support with colleagues and sector networks and stay steady as we go through this very rocky times. If you have not, reach out  and ask for help.

Take care,

Carla Neto




Comments

  1. John Clark21 September 2021 at 23:11

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  2. Laura Bush8 November 2021 at 21:43

    You have provided valuable data for us. It is great and informative for everyone. Keep posting always. I am very thankful to you. speakers technology

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kip Dare17 March 2025 at 07:32

    This topic highlights the importance of resilience and optimism in leadership during tough times. For leaders looking to refine their skills, the Executive Leadership Seminar and Master Class offers invaluable insights into maintaining morale and driving teams forward, even in the face of adversity.

    ReplyDelete

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