How to Lead Through a Prolonged Crisis

Here is a tool my clients and I have found very effective this week. It will help you, your family, and your teams in the following critical ways.
Benefits

  • You will feel more empowered
  • You will experience greater clarity
  • You will feel ahead of the eight ball

It will provide these benefits while also reducing feelings of stress, anxiety and overwhelm.
Too good to be true, right? You’re about to find out.

I’m calling this tool The Three Clarifying Questions, and it’s based on the well-known Circle of Influence/Circle of Concern made popular in Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

I am going to provide you two versions.

  • One that you can share with friends, family, and employees.
  • One for leaders that you can personalize

FOR EVERYONE ELSE

First, here is a Circle of Influence/Circle of Concern (CI/CC)you can share with anyone. It has been adapted to address the impact of the Corona Virus. It’s a good example of how you can use the CI/CC tool to address any challenge, even one as complex as leading during a pandemic. I invite you to share this with your family, friends, team, and employees.  



Do you think this could help the people you care about stay focused on concerns that they can actually do something about? If so, share it. 

If you share it with people that you are leading, consider advising them to personalize it by adding their specific items to each area. Making it their own will help them keep this tool top of mind. 

JUST FOR YOU

What makes the above diagram safe to share with anyone also makes it almost useless to you as a leader. What follows is The Three Questions tool for leaders that my clients and I developed this week. 

 

You have heard the serenity prayer. 

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.

Well, these are the questions that provide you with the wisdom to know the difference. 

What do you have control over?

What do you have influence over?

What do you wish you had control over but don’t?

Instructions

  1. Pick any issue you are facing. 
    1. Examples:
      1. Cutting cost
      2. Staying healthy
      3. A slump in sales
  2. Ask these three questions about that issue. 
    1. What do you have control over?
    2. What do you have influence over?
    3. What do you wish you had control over but don’t?

       

  3. Prioritize what you have control over, put attention on what you can influence, and DISMISS WHAT YOU DON’T. BOOM!

I recommend you do this exercise with a big picture challenge and a specific challenge. You will then learn how to apply it to the macro and the micro. 

 

EXAMPLE ANSWERS

I invite you to consider the following example as a starting point for your big picture challenges. It is intentionally incomplete.  Delete what doesn’t work for you, add what does. 

 

CIRCLE OF CONTROL: ++++++

What do you have control over?

Personal

  • Identifying what you need to increase your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health and prioritizing these things so that you are in the best state for making big decisions.
    • Limit your exposure to news and social media. 
  • Identifying the behaviors and thought patterns that diminish your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health and commit to stop doing these things so that you are in the best state for making big decisions. 
    • Limit your exposure to news and social media. #NoNewsBeforeNoon  
  • Strengthen your immune system and cardio health so that you farewell if you catch it.
  • Have a plan for what you will do if you get the virus. 
  • Have a plan for what you will do if someone in your home or family gets the virus.
  • Having the food and supplies you feel you need, enough to put your mind at rest. 
  • Personal financial planning to adjust to the recession. 

Professional 

  • How you choose to lead your followers. 
    • Influence: Your quality of presence, your relatability, your advising/suggestions. Your followers look to you for leadership. Do not shy away from sharing your recommendations! Starting with the graphic above. 
    • Impact: The decisions you make that impact your followers. 
  • Financial scenario planning and strategy for the new reality. 
  • Business scenario planning and strategy for the new reality.
  • Have a plan for what you will do if someone in your company gets the virus.

CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE ++++++

What do you have influence over?

Personal

  • Doing what you can to avoid getting the virus until after the peak. 
  • Reducing the concerns of loved ones by proactively checking in with them. 

Professional

  • Investor relations: Proactively managing your investor’s concerns. 
  • The level of fear in your company culture: Proactively leading them through the fears. 
  • Finding additional sources of investment and revenue.  

CIRCLE OF CONCERN ++++++

What do you wish you had control over but don’t?

  • – What the government will do.
  • – What the virus will do.
  • – What the economy will do.
  • – How long this will last.
  • – How people respond to your choices.
  • – What anyone outside of your innermost circle thinks, does or believes.

Let me know if you found this helpful. Any and all feedback is truly appreciated. 

Cheers,

Michael