Well, we made it to Friday, I have a Sauvignon Blanc chilling in the fridge, and we have, it would appear, got through week 75623 in lockdown with some breakthroughs; Primark is open and the footie has found it's way back to the TV! In fact we are very nearly half way through 2020...yeah consider that a moment....!!
This week I have been contemplating lots of things, one was how much I miss being part of a team, and also how much I miss leading a team. (I'm trying to lead my daughter and my dog Lola, but I think they have staged a mutiny at this point so I will discount them at this stage!!)
It also made me think about what a scary time this could be for leaders, and how much pressure is on them, both Senior Leaders and Line Managers, small business owners and supervisors, anyone in fact, responsible for the performance and wellbeing of others. The list of complex situations is huge, and the criticality of leaders in every single one of them is increasing with every step further through 2020.
The seismic shifts in ways of working because of Covid 19, keeping a remote, or partially remote team engaged, bringing teams back in to work and handling the operational and emotional process of repatriation, even defining whether coming back is an option at all in some places. Juggling their own lives, kids, pets, partners alongside the needs and emotions of their whole team, whilst dealing with uncertainty, even illness and loss across the board is not easy. I am sure that you have heard the good, the bad and the ugly too in terms of leadership and organisational responses. When working remotely - the leader of the team is so much more impactful and influential, on engagement, on career development on mental wellbeing because their strengths, weaknesses and even perceptions are not diluted by the exposure to others around the office. This is tough!
I can see there are some outstanding role models in leadership, who are being just magnificent right now, I know personally some great ones who are learning, unlearning, relearning. They are embracing the discomfort, mastering the technology, throwing out years of practices and writing new ones and trying to ride the wave of the limitless learning that it takes to be a great leader. Hey, I know some that are drowning in the huge amount of information and learning that there is; pdfs on resilience, webinars on compassion, risk assessments, government guidelines and Zoom sessions. Being a leader right now is like juggling lit fireworks, you'll catch most of them, you will drop a few and it's probably gonna hurt at times, but do it right and it will be a spectacular and memorable sight!
It is also an amazing time to be a leader, the value that you can add to the lives of others is monumental, you are part of rewriting history, rebuilding what the new world looks like, challenging and dismantling injustice across your team, organisation and country, raising spirits, drying tears, generating results. You have a crucial place and a huge role to play and the most important thing for you to be is 100% YOU. Being a leader, there is no end to your learning, and no limits upon it, you are our superheroes, caped or not!
Whether you lead a big team, a small team, have a huge remit or a modest accountability, if you lead or manage others you have a massive role to play, and may be feeling the weight of that so if you want to talk, if you need some help finding your superpower, or your true authentic you-ness in order to make this time ....magnificent, then please get in touch, you can book a free chat by clicking here
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