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Thriving during Uncertain Times

4/27/2020

Thriving? I know that sounds immature or naive or lacking in deep understanding of the world right now during Covid-19, but in truth even during a pandemic we can thrive. Emotionally, spiritually, physically we can thrive, but now also trusting that even the current situation can ultimately be good for our growth and development.

While we are suffering perhaps in not being in physical proximity to those who we love, having health issues or fearful of our financial future, there are many wonderful things coming out of this pandemic, which we may never have paid attention to otherwise.

Re-prioritizing what is truly important - family time. Time spent speaking to and being creative in how we keep in touch with family and friends is critical. Whether you are at home with your family and enjoying cooking, playing games, cleaning the house or getting creative together or you are creatively finding ways to keep in touch with family and friends use this time to go deeper in your relationships. Spend time really getting to know what is in the hearts and minds of your children or spouse, dig deeper in yourself and find creative projects to do with one another, but mostly show each other how much you love each other. Relationships are primary and in this time of forced togetherness use it wisely.
Spiritual growth - I have been spending a lot more time being mindful these days. Whether it is meditating myself, creating mindfulness practices for others, or leading mindfulness programming this is a time to go deeper in our internal world and bring some peace to ourselves. If you have a practice, go back into it and become disciplined about making it an integral part of your day. If you are new to it, find an app or an online group to guide you through it like Mindful Leader and begin to learn how to bring this practice into your life. There are so many benefits like stress reduction, increased productivity, enhanced well-being which are all needed right now.
Creativity - While we are all at home I know my creativity is itching to come out. I used to Ballroom Dance pre-Covid and I don't know when I will be able to get back to that, but now I am leaning into writing, painting, gardening, and cooking. All of these things are helping me to unlearn my need for control and allowing me to see the deep wisdom in the windy path. For sometimes the windy path can get you to where you needed to go much more confidently than if you charged ahead in one particular way. This can be the case in your leadership journey as well. Brainstorm new possibilities, let the creative juices fly. For how we get out of this Covid situation health wise and business wise will require a lot of creativity.
Financial responsibility - while some of you are in stable jobs even during this crisis, others are being deeply impacted by the financial crisis of this. Learn to tighten up your belts. What things can you eliminate from your budget. What areas do you need to tighten? Where do you need to spend to invest in your future or growth right now? Where can you get help if you need it? Listen to financial experts and learn what you need to do right now to make your financial future thrive.

There are ways to come out of this situation better off than you left it. I know there is a lot of destruction, pain, health suffering, and financial concerns, but focus on what you can control. Get creative about how you do and invest this time wisely in developing yourself, your families, and strengthening your relationships.

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Letting go of Control

4/21/2020

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As we have entered the sixth week of working and being at home during Covid-19 I have heard many people realizing that they do not have as much control on life, events, and/or situations that they thought they did. Leadership is often the same way. We can have the best laid vision, strategy, and plan, but sometimes outside forces take over like this pandemic did our lives.

So what can we learn from this situation?

Plan, but be prepared to flex - flexibility, adaptability, and openness to change is critical for any leader to embrace. While we can think through a strategy, put in place a plan, and even risk mitigation strategies, some situations we may never anticipate. Have the ability to adapt, react quickly, and not stay too stuck in the past when change occurs.
Get the best minds in your organizations together - Continually ask yourselves questions like what have we not anticipated and how can we deal with it? Working together with your teams you can often figure out things together that you may not have thought about on your own and you let go of the control as a leader and open it up to a brain trust which is broader and wider than you had just on your own.
Anticipate risks - while we may not have been able to anticipate this pandemic, other situations you may be able to do so. Think through risks and how to mitigate them. And then also know that you may face things that you never anticipated and will need to adjust.
Remain in the present - the more you stay in the present moment, the more you can make good decisions and react to the changes going on around you. If you are stuck in regret of the past (like how come we didn't anticipate this) or worried about the future (such as losing out on finances) then you are not being creative in the present moment. Take a walk, meditate, do something which gets your mind very focused in the now and your mind can come up with rational and logical answers.

What are you learning about letting go of control during these times?

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Moving Past Denial

4/14/2020

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During a time of change, especially like the Covid-19 Pandemic, people will go through the five stages of grief. Based off of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross' work, the five stages of grief also relate to any change process that we go through. The five stages are:

Denial - this is a state of shock and a way to pace facing the grief. It is nature's way of only letting in as much as we can handle.
Anger - here we may lash out at others for the pain we are facing. The more you feel it the more it will dissipate and you will heal.
Bargaining - in this stage you feel the guilt and ask questions such as, "What if," or "If only." We want our life restored to the way it was.
Depression - here we are firmly in the present and feeling the pain of the loss. This is an appropriate feeling for a loss or a change and we don't know how long it will last.
Acceptance - here we finally accept that we are not going back and that this is the new normal.

The stages of grief are not always linear and one can move through the stages and then fall back or skip a stage. Also people may move through the stages at different paces. I know that I have now, after 4 weeks, moved through the denial stage, and had feelings of anger, bargaining and depression for sure. I am currently still probably in the bargaining phase. Where are you? Know that these phases are natural. Know that as this is a curve with our productivity dipping the most at the bargaining stage and then going back up after that. So if you are not being as productive as you usually were that is normal as well. What stage are you currently in? How can you honor the stage you are in right now?

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Coaching and Training Support during Covid-19

4/6/2020

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Leadership is critical during crisis moments. People look up to their leaders and watch to see how they are going to guide things during tough times as well as to model the behavior of how they should be "being" during in a crisis situation. As leaders we may not have all of the right answers nor always feel emotionally stable during a pandemic either. At these times we might need some support in being able to manage and process our own emotional state and/or some tools to be able to manage most effectively right now and leadership coaching or training can be helpful during these times.

In virtual training sessions and/or coaching a leader can gain some skills or support on the following topics: managing through change, leading a virtual team, remaining resilient during crisis times, learning mindfulness practices to manage stress, and building emotional intelligence skills to manage your own emotional state and interact with others in the best way possible. If you are looking for support please reach out to monica@monicathakrar.com.

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Art of Leadership Blog

Thriving during Uncertain Times

Letting go of Control

Moving Past Denial

Coaching and Training Support during Covid-19

Monica Thakrar

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