How are you holding up? This is a difficult time, with significant uncertainty and fear.
And yet, I have enjoyed hearing so many stories of hope and inspiration from those of you who are seeing possibilities during this crisis. Thank you for continuing to choose to lead.
Many of you submitted questions for our last Facebook conversation and, since we weren't able to get to all of them live, I wanted to take a moment to answer a few more of them here:
How
do you focus on staying optimistic in the midst of the storm? - Brian
It is true that a crisis tends to focus people on the difficulty of their immediate circumstances. But especially when the present is so grim, a focus on the future is necessary, because it provides hope and purpose. It sounds like you already know this.
To stay optimistic, I always recommend taking stock of the current and the future state. Yes, acknowledge in a clear-eyed way the difficulties of the current state - but also describe in detail the possibilities in the future. Then, when the going gets tough (and it will - it always does), focus on that the future state - on the specific possibilities you laid out. How is the world better? What does it feel like to be there?
How are the people around you acting? What goals are you achieving together, in that new normal?
What are the major qualities we should have or nurture during a crisis like COVID-19? - Joyce
In my experience, effective leaders during a crisis demonstrate six key characteristics: humility, empathy, collaboration, courage, character, and imagination.
Humility: They are not afraid to admit when they don't know something or to ask others for help.
Empathy: They genuinely seek to understand someone else's perspective and experience.
Collaboration: They work effectively with others - even when it's difficult.
Courage: They see the truth, speak the truth, and act on the truth.
Character: They display stamina, resilience, steadiness, and strength over time and all the time.
Imagination: They see possibilities, even in the bleakest of circumstances.
I'm looking
forward to answering more of your questions in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy.
