Consider a change in thinking to get you through
by Mike Kensington, Leadership & Strategy Partner, POD/Advice First
Many of you reading this may have had your world tipped upside down over the last month. In fact, there are very few of us who have not. So, now more than ever, we should be considering what we need to do to support our employees, our businesses and, most importantly, ourselves.
so they can get the job done? Are there smarter ways to use technology? Are you open to ideas and innovations from our team to overcome obstacles? Let’s also consider what resources are available to people to support their emotional state – time-out, exercise, meditation, sleep and heathy eating.
At times like this, it is worth reflecting on the Stockdale Paradox – a concept named after James Stockdale, former USA vice presidential candidate, naval officer and Vietnam prisoner of war. Stockdale was held captive for seven years, repeatedly tortured and often feared for his life. As we know, often in times of extreme adversity, there are learnings and realisations. What Stockdale found was that he could stay alive by balancing two things: the reality of his situation, with a sense of optimism and hope.
Supporting each other needs to go beyond just asking if someone needs help. You may need to discuss the re-set of expectations and objectives with them, so they know what to focus on. You may need to learn how to be open to feedback and different opinions from people so that you can understand what’s going on and get the best information coming to you. People may need different skills to get the job done, so how can we coach, develop or mentor them through? Above all, the key to supporting people is communication. Communicate regularly and often, communicate the right information so it is clear and concise, and create lots of opportunities for people to communicate back to you and others around them.
Put simply, it is about hoping for the best while accepting and preparing for what you have in front of you. This may be a new way of thinking and behaving for many of us, but it is not something that needs to be difficult or complicated. Whilst hope and optimism are fantastic sentiments, we often need practical things to use in our businesses. When we look forward, we think about having a business plan, setting realistic goals and objectives, and identifying key actions that will get us
where we want to be. We recruit the type of people who will form our core culture, take responsibility for what needs to be done, and perform at their best. Above all, we look ahead, put plans and strategies in place, and support the people around us to be successful. When we reflect on the reality of the situation around the world right now, it may seem hard to have hope and optimism. That’s where our ability to be resilient kicks in. This is not about ‘pushing through’ or ‘getting tough’. It’s about calling on the resources and support you have around you, to manage yourself and others through adversity. In terms of resources, it may be worth asking yourself; have we reviewed our business plan and adjusted what we can expect to deliver? Have we re-set our goals to ensure we are being realistic? Are we focusing on the things that we can control? Are we focusing on the true priorities in our business? You might also want to consider what flexibility you are offering people
So, whilst there might be many things changing around you and it appears as though everything is out of your control, there are ways to re-set, focus your thinking and get through. pod.co.nz A U T U M N 2 0 2 0 FOCUS ON PEOPLE & CULTURE
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