At the start of the webinar, Paul urges all attendees to pause and think or reflect. This is vitally important to sustaining energy and inspiring confidence from our teams. More than that, it enables leaders to recharge batteries and improve mental health.
The current pandemic is forcing us to find our potential - and some of us really are finding our limits. It’s also helping us to focus on the here and now. What can we do now to impact change or to better our people’s lives?
It’s all about relationships
To improve our leadership capabilities we need to focus on building strong relationships. Forget the old adage of “are you a performance or relationship coach?” they are intrinsically linked. Developing relationships helps us have open and honest conversations with our people, increasing collaboration and success.
In great relationships and leadership, trust is key. Paul’s three main drivers of trust include:
- Authenticity
- Logic
- Empathy
On the last point, it’s easy as a leader to suffer from empathy fatigue from making so many tough decisions or listening to your employees. Take time for yourself and your own mental health. As Nick Elston advises in his managing anxiety series, don’t mask these feelings, set boundaries and put aside time for recovery.
6 tips for better leadership in challenging times
Think ‘challenging times’ and COVID is going to be the first thing that comes into our heads. It’s not just the pandemic, though. There have been and will continue to be challenges in business. Whether it’s another recession, a change in ownership or market conditions, we all need to be ready to adapt and thrive.
Here are Paul’s top tips for leading in a time of crisis:
- Respond not react
- Beat communication barriers
- Learn from experience
- Intentionally build relationships
- Show vulnerability
- Remain decisive and adaptable
- Be honest, confident and positive
- Care for your own wellbeing
For more information on Paul's talk and to get in touch with us about running dedicated leadership training for your business, speak with our friendly team.
