There is much we can learn from social science research about what helps leaders during times of crisis. This article provides a brief overview of some of the key findings on how courage can be understood as a psychological construct and leadership tool, and not just understood as an abstract idea. These are a review of the best practices in terms of what really works. However, this is not an exhaustive laundry list but a recounting of which approaches social science says has the greatest impact in leading through difficult times. The three concentric circles of leadership through crisis are: Self, Team, and Organization. We will review courage as a leadership tool through each of those three circles.
LEADERSHIP
Leading Through Crises What You Should Know, What We Have Learned, and How to Use Courage as a Leadership Tool By Terence J. Bostic, Ph.D. and Ashley G. Parker, Ph.D.
Leading Self During crises, many leaders make the same critical error: they do not prioritize or attend to their own needs. This is unfortunate but understandable in that leaders in times of crisis often focus on the worries, concerns and needs of those whom they lead. The literature on leadership through crises suggests that the people that are the strongest and most effective leaders are the ones that take care of themselves during the crisis as well as looking to the needs of others. A few key steps can help with this. 1.
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Manage all of the “inputs” you possibly can. In a world that can provide an overly large amount of stimulation, make sure that you have put yourself on an appropriate media diet, limiting your intake when necessary. Connect with your social support network. It has never been more important. Leaders who excel through crises are usually the ones who activate and consistently leverage their social support networks. Maximize your efficiency. We know from healthcare leadership that well-run hospitals and physician organizations not only support the wellness of their physicians, but also create the most efficient tools that they possibly can. During times of crises, it is often helpful to reconsider policies, processes, and protocols, and to be willing to jettison the ones that no longer work for the new circumstance.
Another key dimension is how we speak to ourselves. How we manage our internal dialogue matters extensively. What you want to watch out for, especially, is language that is associated with worry. Worry is negative, openended, and wallows in the fact that things are terrible. This is different from solution-focused thinking that acknowledges the gravity of the circumstance but is time limited and has more cognitive than emotional language in its own internal dialogue. If you are someone who is prone to worry, and many people in leadership are, a proven strategy is to dedicate a specific time to it during the day. If you allow yourself fifteen to thirty minutes to worry in an unabated fashion, then you have to promise yourself that you won’t revisit those issues until the appointed time tomorrow. It allows people a way to compartmentalize. In psychology, grief is the experience of wishing things were different than they really are and feeling sad about it. A key aspect of self-leadership is managing your own grief. Acknowledging that your experience is one of grief and attending to it the same way that you would deal with the loss of a loved one is helpful self-management. Finally, great leaders, when managing self, keep the mantra in their head of “respond, don’t react.” In times of crisis, especially, limiting your media intake,
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