Pause then Process: Leaders it is Your Time to Step-Up

Nothing is certain. Nothing is guaranteed. With a glimpse of an eye, your whole life could change. This is what is called the real VUCA world.

2020. Not too long ago, we were setting our goals on different levels, be it in health, fitness, professional, relationship, travel and many others. Well, the year 2020 with its distinctive digits sounded unique. But did it really need to emphasize its uniqueness in a way where it presented us with an event that would haunt human history for a very long time?

Many of us believe in the philosophy of “everything happens for a good reason.” A virus called “Coronavirus” came to our world to give us a message. We had to pay a hell of a lot to receive this message.

Did you ever imagine in time of peace, we would walk on roads that are empty? We would enter buildings where we only hear the eco of our voices? We would be scared to come home and meet our loved ones because we don’t want to harm them if we carried the virus? No cinemas. No malls. No gym. No commuting to work. Our whole life seems on hold.

I saw that in Zombies’ movies. Where a place became a ghost town and everyone is infected. I thought such events could exist in Sci-Fi movies. Never imagined it would become a reality that we would live one day.

I started observing the world from far: panic attacks, aggression, fear, uncertainty, depression…etc. So many questions hit our minds daily about the unknown. Where are we heading? When is this going to end? Are we going to lose anybody whom we know or love?

I saw organizations and companies embracing the digital world and continuing business remotely. But, before we jump into business I urge leaders to pause and ask themselves:

“Are we in the right mind set to do that straight away?” Our cortisol level must have hit the roof. How could we come back to normal state so quick and pretend nothing is happening and go and join virtual meetings?

We are human beings with such a complex structure and emotions. We need to understand first what is going on within us. We need to feel right. We need to go through the “Process”, and not allow emotions to misjudge our decisions. Maybe that process is switching on your empathy and compassion whilst the human population move back into their safety needs seeking clarity.

When I was in my coaching journey as a student, we learned in the Co-Active model one of the principals that is called “Process.” This means being with the client during a stage where they could get emotionally charged. We learned to remain with them, wherever they might be and help them understand what is going on internally. We hold hands with them and assure them it will be all alright if we experience these emotions together. The key is not to run away or bury your head in the sand. We pause to process these emotions.

The same is with what is going on in the world right now. This is one of the crucial times where Leaders need to step up more than ever and help their people at this time of crisis to process negative emotions like fear, depression, anxiety…etc. Be with your team members and ask them insightful questions that would help them to overcome these emotions and move forward. When they move forward, we can move and focus on deliverables.

We need a bit of time to understand and reflect on ourselves and life in general. This is the time for leaders to take more mental walks with their people and help them cross the fear bridge to land on a place where they now could think of opportunities behind this event.

Going back to the philosophy of “everything happens for a reason,” there is another statement that I could recall and learned in my journey in “System Coaching” and that is “who knows what is good and what is bad.” Yes, this Pandemic event of Coronavirus looks like a horror movie we are living in, but there is a lot of bright sides to it. Some say this is like a restart button to the world to rethink about so many things that would need a change.

Leaders out there It is time to reflect on what are we valuing about this experience. But first and most protect the mental state of your staff and assure them that the organization would offer all support to them and their families during this difficult time. In these times, you build loyalty more and when you protect you people, in return they would protect the business. It’s a simple equation.

There are so many opportunities that could come with a crisis and change, but we need to be resilient to face them with strength. Most importantly, PAUSE and PROCESS. As a leader don’t jump into actions straight away. Take this time to understand your team more and this is your chance to increase trust among you team members and inject values of cooperation and team spirit. Make the best use of this time to bond with your team members and do a regular check in your virtual meetings with the team. It is your time to step up as influential leaders.