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Leading with Grace

3/31/2020

As we all get adjusted to a protracted season of working from home, leading virtually, and staying healthy, leadership really matters. During these times of crisis what you do right now makes a difference. Your teams, your organizations, and your families will remember how you acted during these times and they will think about it for a long time to come.

So how can you be the leader you want to be? Here are some tips to get you started:

Self-care - it's the old adage that you need to put your own oxygen mask on first before. Practice resilience, mindfulness, or taking some time out to feel your own feelings before helping and building others up.
Focus on the vision - what is it that you are trying to accomplish in the short term (next 4-8 weeks) and then in the long term. Create a common vision so that your whole team is aligned around the same short and long term goals.
Communicate frequently both for work and as check-ins - everyone wants to feel connected in a time of social distancing. Have daily or every other day check-ins with your team to determine how they are doing personally and professionally. Have one on one check ins weekly so that people can share what is on their mind. The more connection you foster the more that people will feel that you care.
Allow for some ups and downs in productivity - as everyone is going through the ups and downs of the emotions of the times, having families at home to manager, and/or facing health issues themselves leaders have to be cognizant of the need for some empathy. Allowance for some down time, some leeway in the normal work hours, and/or the productivity levels is going to be important at this time. Show empathy and care at this time for people need that right now.
Show your own humanity - as leaders we are going through the same feelings as everyone else. Show your own feelings and be vulnerable. Allow people to know that you don't have all of the right answers all of the time either. Together you can all get through this.

During these Covid times really show your authenticity, your vulnerability, but also step up as a leader. What you do now could be the legacy that you leave later down the line.

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Existing in a new world context

3/23/2020

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As the those of us in the US adjust to our first week or so social distancing and staying from home some new ways of operating are emerging. As we slow down and don't run around so much, I see that people are connecting more, finding creative ways to do that and emerging a little bit more vulnerable. As we share in this collective panic we see that we are all human, all want to love and be loved, all want to contribute to others/to the world, and all need to be with others, but in this day and age prior to COVID we might have forgotten that in the rush to succeed, to prosper, to achieve, especially in the US. I see some ways that things have changed already and am wondering if you think these things will remain when this is all through:

The desire to connect - While I have been working from home/being at home for 7 days I have heard from old friends I haven't talked to in a long time and because we are all now at home we are really connecting when we speak on the phone. I am speaking/FaceTiming with my parents and brother/niece/nephews daily. I am having virtual happy hours/movie nights with friends and feeling so touched by the depth of sharing, love, and support we are showing each other during these anxiety producing times.
The need for nature and physical activity - when I take my daily walks or runs I am seeing so many people out. We all need a sense of relief from being inside all day either alone or with our immediate families and at the same time nature has been such a healing balm. The wonderful cherry blossoms here in the DC area, tulips and daffodils sprouting, the quiet creeks in Rock Creek Park so still and serene. All of this reminds us beauty is still all around, nature is bountiful, and we will get through this.
Finding calmness and creativity - More and more people are looking for ways to calm themselves down. While my spiritual community has been amazing in ramping up ways for all of us to meditate, breath, and do yoga together, I am finding people/friends/clients who have never opened up to this before looking for ways to be mindful, meditate, and commune. They are also finding ways to be creative - drawing with their children, dancing with their partners, teaching each other yoga (I am doing virtual lessons with my niece and nephews!) and both calm and creativity are wonderful things to cultivate during these times.
Finding ways to give back - call and check in on elderly people or those who may live alone. Find ways to donate to local causes (I started a fundraiser for a local charity Martha's Table as they help those in need in the DC area). Look for ways to use your skills to provide relief to others (even the celebrities are doing free concerts/dance classes) by using their talents. We all have them. Find ways to support others during this time.

While this time can be very hard and my heart goes out to so many people in need there are some very important things resulting from this time of COVID which could provide some good changes for when life goes back to normal. Find the silver lining in what we are going through. When we can rush around anymore find ways to go inwards, love the people in your families, friend circles, and your communities, and find ways to give back. All of these steps will get us through the current crisis and help us in the future when things get back to a new normal.

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Social Distancing - How to Prevent Isolation?

3/17/2020

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During these tumultuous times in the United States and around the world, social distancing is becoming the new way of operating. To stay safe and not contract and/or spread the coronavirus more and more people are working from home. As a result people can feel socially disconnected and/or start feeling down. How can we keep engaged and keep our spirits up during these times?

Use technology - while I normally say that we are losing the art of connection due to technology, technology is a tool which can serve us during these times. Leverage the tools that we have in place - zoom, Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp, other video technology to visually connect with colleagues, friends, and family. Set up a video meetings during work instead of just conference calls. Organize virtual happy hours with friends and family to connect on the weekends and evenings instead of just with your family or alone. Be proactive in connecting with others.
Set up times of the day to take care of yourself - whether it is first thing in the morning workouts, lunch time meditation sessions, walks in the park with friends/family/pets, calls or video checks in with colleagues. Have a set routine for self-care and sticking to it can provide a structure and routine to keep you mentally and physically strong to handle the stress and anxiety during these times.
Learn something new - read a book, take an online class, learn a new language on Duolingo, watch a Ted Talk. There are so many ways to keep your mind occupied in so many different mediums. While in person learning may have been put on hold there are lots of ways to keep learning. Start digging into the piles of magazines that you have or use your Amazon Prime membership to get free books. Keep learning and you will come out of this more revived.
Be mindful - mindfulness practices, meditation, or yoga can be wonderful tools to connect more with yourself during these stressful times and remain centered. There are many online resources now to help you through guided meditations like artofliving.org or many yoga studios are now offering their classes virtually. Be proactive and find ways to keep your body and mind healthy.
Find ways to give back - while you may be in a hard position there are many others who are suffering worse - hourly workers, those with the virus, senior citizens, etc. Find ways to give back. Check in on your elderly family members by phone or video call, donate money to your local organizations who are providing food and resources to the less fortunate, send words of encouragement and/or humorous videos to friends and family to keep their spirits up. This is the time to lean into helping others.

While social distancing is different for so many of us, it is a way to slow down, keep connected with people in a different way, and truly come out on the other side a stronger and more resilient person.

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Embracing Change

3/10/2020

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As new things finally come into view deepening your happiness level, your energy levels, and your vision become just as important as allowing the change to occur. For when change happens resistance and/or hesitation could come up for healthy change (even good changes) will bring up feelings of loss and/or grief. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross' 5 stages of grief often come up in a change process as you feel a loss of the old - old ways of being, acting, doing in the world or in your organization and this can be hard. But with change there also comes possibilities, opportunities, wisdom, and evolution.

Put in the effort to keep grounding yourself during these times of change. Ask for support from those close to you. Invest time in self-care such as physical exercise, meditation, walks in nature, music, etc to keep yourself grounded. Let yourself feel the resistance and ask any questions or get clarification that you need. As you let yourself feel the feelings and surround yourself with support you can move through the change that you have been seeking for some time and truly flow into the next phase of things.

How can you ground yourself at these times?

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Elevating Your Energy Levels

3/3/2020

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To inspire others to want to come along with you leaders need to willingly accept their commitments, allow for time to be spent on those commitments, and wisely elevate their energy levels so that they can truly go after those commitments. As leaders we often get things thrown at us which take our energy, our time, and our resources, but they are not truly moving us towards our true goals in business.

In order to keep you energy levels high leaders need to focus on what truly stokes their passion. By working towards those things which are inspiring to you a leader can continually replenish their tank, keeping them wisely moving towards the right goals. By spending energy on time suckers, or on supporting/helping others more often than themselves, or not allocating enough time to do the things which are important, leaders can go off track.

To build up the muscle of continually focusing on what is most important, use Steven Covey's four quadrants and populate it with those things that are most relevant for you to keep your energies high:

Important/Urgent
Important/Not Urgent
Not Important/Urgent
Not Important/Not Urgent

Often we spend so much time on the not important but urgent quadrants that we don't get to the really important things in the Important/Not Urgent quadrant. What do you need to focus on in the important/not urgent category?

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Art of Leadership Blog

Leading with Grace

Existing in a new world context

Social Distancing - How to Prevent Isolation?

Embracing Change

Elevating Your Energy Levels

Monica Thakrar

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