Leading in a crisis - what I've learned so far

The last few months have been some of the most challenging of my career so far. I manage a team of 37-people, across 7 different countries in Europe and Asia. All of which have been in different situations, at various times over the last few weeks and months. 

The three most impactful things I’ve learned over the last few months:

1) You can’t promise anything in times of crisis, because you don’t know anything.

People naturally want to know what the future holds; “is my job safe”, “will I get sick” “will the business survive”. 

You can read all the news articles, opinion pieces and watch all the daily updates, but don’t pretend you know what’s going to happen. Nobody does, and nobody can. By predicting the future you risk getting it wrong, and if you get it right, then you are just lucky.

Don’t promise anything. You can’t. You can reassure, you can give people the facts, but you can’t guarantee what an outcome will be in a time of a pandemic. I’ve found that if you are transparent about what’s happening, and you communicate regularly (but not too much), generally people can better accept the unknown. 

2) People deal with things very differently - don’t assume they feel like you do.

You might feel calm and secure, or you might be tired and anxious, but don’t expect everyone to feel the same. People have different perceptions and responses to what happens around them and are in different situations. You need to be aware of mixed feelings, situations and reactions to everything that you say and do, and remain neutral as possible. 

3) Look after your own mental health.

When you have a responsibility to look after and support other people, it’s easy to forget about your own mental health. You are not a machine, and you are not immune to everything that is happening around you. Make time to process your own feelings and anxieties about the situation and accept that you can have bad days too. 

People in leadership roles sometimes feel that they can not show any vulnerability, yet that’s what makes you genuine and builds more trust with your team. Maybe don’t shout “we’re all doomed” on your next team meeting, but being honest about some of the challenges you are facing too is helpful for you and your team. At the beginning of all of our team meetings, we have an icebreaker, where everyone participates, including senior leadership. It’s a great leveller, particularly when in a crisis situation. Try it…. I have lot’s of topics if anyone needs some inspiration.