“Keep looking up…that’s the secret of life.“
–Charlie Brown
I am facilitating a class called “Leading Through Crisis” and one of the group reflection questions this week was; What are some helpful ideas to keep thinking positively during times of challenge? The participants, who are local leaders came up with these ideas:
1. Definitely keep your sense of humor. Humor helps place the challenge/crisis in perspective and helps to make the crisis more manageable. Someone once said that “Laughter is the best medicine.” That said, we need to be sensitive to the timing of our use of humor. What I may think is humorous may not be humorous to someone else at that time, but I can always lighten up and laugh at myself.
2. Celebrate all wins. Quarantine imposes so much new learning–technology, working from home, becoming a parent/teacher simultaneously and having to stay at home indefinitely. I believe we should high-five every small win, from actually getting dressed instead of staying in our jammies, to just eating one quarter of the bag of Life-Saver Gummies (a big win for me:) One participant told of an 87 year-old board member learning to Zoom and he was high-fived by everyone on that call. The simplest and the grandest individual accomplishments need to be recognized.
3. Stay connected. A local business owner was encouraged by our discussions because connecting with others made her realize that she wasn’t alone in her struggles. Connection is the foundation of resilience and, Lord knows, we need that during this time. Reach out to others with phone calls, texts and instant messaging. For me, my Google Hang Out calls with my adult children have meant so much to me. Another participant said that her team got together on Zoom for “Taco Night.” Everyone had tacos and it was just a fun time to be with each other.
4. Physically change your perspective. A non-profit leader told of conquering the feeling of overwhelm by leaving her computer and phone and going outside to sit in the sun. A couple participants said that daily walks really helped with the feeling that they were constantly at work. Getting outside and seeing the beauty of creation at this time has worked wonders for me.
5. Put the people first. I think this really should be the first step. A different business owner said that serving her team and encouraging them to fulfill their dreams was her key to staying positive. It’s the people who make things happen. It’s often our people who come up with innovative solutions and solve the toughest problems. When people feel cared for and heard, they perform exceptionally well under stress.
A couple more ideas that everyone agreed on to combat the uncertainty and potential negativity that can result from crisis–formulate a path forward, even though that path may change often, and encourage self-care.
I always learn so much from facilitating leadership roundtables. I hope this was helpful for you, too. What will you implement in your life this week?
Facing the sunshine,
Jan
Jan McDonald
The John Maxwell Team
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