Powerful Principles of Personal Growth

Crisis Leadership

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Leadership can come from all ranks and also in many different forms; however, no leader is complete without the ability to be effective in Crisis Leadership. In my experience I have known many different types of leaders and not all of them were effective during times of crisis.

Typically, most people go into panic mode when crisis hits; they begin running around like a chicken without a head and then the whole crew follows suit. What usually ends up happening in these instances is that everyone appears very busy doing something; however, not doing much that directly influences results or affects a resolution.

The goal of this article then, is to help raise your awareness to what it takes to lead under pressure and provide some successful tips to help you become more effective in your crisis leadership.

The first thing to understand is that it is during times of crisis that it is most important for authentic leaders to show up. Holding steady during harmonious times and then falling to pieces the moment a wheel falls off the bus is not true leadership. Leaders must remain steady and focused on the challenge at hand at all times. And even if you get rattled, which can happen to anyone, it is crucial that you rise above it quickly and not fall apart in front of your team.

Karen Fuss-Zipp, leader of the #1 professional beauty company in the US (statistic good up to the date of this post) and whom I have had the good fortune and pleasure to work with and learn from is just about the coolest character as I have ever seen when it comes to crisis leadership. She is immovable; during times of crisis where others seem to go to pieces – she remains like a rock. Somehow she is able to stay calm, assess the situation, delegate accordingly and produce great results. She is a phenomenal woman in my opinion.

With that said, experience has taught me that there are 7 key characteristics that effective leaders exhibit during times of crisis.

1. Patience

Effective crisis leaders are always the coolest customers in the room. While others are losing it and panicking, crisis leaders are patiently waiting for the dust to settle. The reason they do this is because it will be extremely difficult to extract any useful information while people are in chaos mode – what I refer to as the fire truck way of operating.

One of the best things that you can do when things start to go haywire is allow others to release the initial high intensity and low intelligence emotions so that they are clearer when it's time to act. This doesn't mean that you allow this to continue indefinitely – just long enough for adequate expression.

2. Stabilizer

While others are busy working on the fire truck; effective crisis leaders understand that it is much more beneficial to work on what I refer to as the golf course. This is why they are the quintessential stabilizers. Crisis Leadership requires that you are able to bring some level of stability to the situation before any action is taken towards resolution. Again the main reason for this is to establish clarity of mind among all parties involved.

The most effective stabilizers are able to maintain the proper composure while at the same time convey the certainty of success once the dust clears. They are able to help others bring the high emotions down and raise the level of intelligence by reassuring them that they are the experts in this situation and that they can undoubtedly handle it.

This of course does not mean that you B.S. people; it means that you must know your team members well enough to be authentic in your reassurance. Any attempt to blow smoke and shovel manure will be met with hopelessness and resentment.

The whole point of the stabilizer is to bring calm to a chaotic situation so that you can work more effectively to produce the desired results.

3. Assessor

Once calm has been brought to the situation, effective leaders move quickly to assess it. They understand that the best way to come up with the best solutions is to deduce exactly what has happened and how it happened. To this end, they begin to look to the leaders among the team to find answers.

Depending on the type of situation, effective crisis leaders work on a strict time table during assessment. The more time sensitive the situation the less people they might consult for assessment. They only consult with the most necessary and directly involved individuals in order to maintain the proper focus. When it comes to crisis, it is better to remain as acute as possible to avoid going off on unnecessary tangents.

Furthermore, successful assessment requires that you know exactly whom to talk to and what to talk to them about. Talking to the wrong people about the wrong subjects during times of crisis could be disastrous. The bottom line is that you need to know your people and exactly what their expertise is – this will always add speed and accuracy to the resolution process.

4. Director

Crisis leadership requires that you are astute at directing people and traffic. When others are in panic mode, it's much harder to have clear direction. Effective crisis leaders are able to calmly and clearly convey directives to others in a way that they best understand what they have to do. Additionally, they are able to effectively streamline different processes by establishing clear time tables and an efficient system of checks and balances.

This is the reason it is so important that you know who your team members are and what they are good at. In fact, even if you don't know this information for each individual, as an effective crisis leader you need to know the people that do. At the end of the day, you must have a system whereby you can easily pinpoint the experts and what they do.

This knowledge will be invaluable in helping you delegate the right tasks to the right people in order to achieve the best results. In fact, one of the greatest strengths of effective leaders is developing other leaders. They do not surround themselves with lackeys and "yes men"; they deliberately look for and cultivate leaders.

5. Affirmer

Before releasing others to task, effective crisis leaders always affirm them. They sincerely and authentically believe that the situation can be resolved and they let others know it. They further understand that in order to achieve the best results, it is crucial that those involved are confident in themselves and also in the rest of the team.

Have you ever been truly affirmed by someone else? When you hear someone say "you can do this – I believe in you" – how does it make you feel?

If it's authentic, I guarantee you that you feel better and more confident almost instantly. Especially in times of crisis, people need to feel confident – they need to believe it is going to be ok. They need real hope in order to bring out the best in them.

The fact of the matter is that whether you are dealing with a crisis or not, it is supremely important to affirm others. This is a key element in building others and helping them to see themselves in a better light.

6. Appreciator

All effective leaders show appreciation of their team at all times. During times of crisis it is even more important. An authentic show of gratitude goes a long way in building others and giving hope to many more. The ripple effect of showing true gratitude for someone else has infinite implications and impact that is beyond your imagination. The law of gratitude says that the more you appreciate what you have, the more you get to appreciate. This means that the opposite is also true; the more you take for granted, the more you lose.

This is why it is so important to recognize people for the talents they bring to the table. Let them know that you are truly grateful for their contribution and that they have true value. Again, don't just make stuff up; be genuine about it – this is what will make the difference. The impact will undoubtedly be profound and positive.

7. Listener

Without this characteristic, it will be extremely difficult for you to fully realize the other 6. All effective leaders know that it is vital that they seek wise and qualified council at all times and that it is even more important to do so in times of crisis.

Crisis leadership requires that you listen closely and with a genuine open mind. As one of my great mentors always says "the intelligence is in the room."

This means that you look to the experts on your team and in your network when you are facing tough situations. The downfall of many leaders is often pride and ego; they begin to think that they are above the people rather than with the people. Effective leaders know that in order to lead people effectively they must stand with them and not above them.

When ego leads, teams fall apart; when humility leads, teams synergize. There is no way around it – this how the natural law works. As one of my other great mentors puts it, "EGO stands for edges greatness out."

Just remember that all effective leaders are great listeners. They deliberately seek out wise and qualified council in order to help them achieve the best results. In times of crisis, it is even more important to truly listen.

Developing these 7 characteristics will undoubtedly help you become much more effective in your crisis leadership. Even at times when your emotions run high, with these characteristics engrained within you – you will be able to evaluate and act more quickly.

 

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Barriers to Effective Communication

Effective Communication is a skill that is essential to your success; it can often mean the difference between success and failure in any endeavor. So many projects, in my experience, have fallen to pieces because of poor communication.

This website is filled with many articles that cover various aspects of communication; however, the goal of this article is to address specifically some significant and common barriers to effective communication.

We all communicate in many ways; even at times when we do not realize we are, we're still communicating. The 4 main forms of communication are reading, writing, speaking and listening. Of course, there are many factors that go into the elements that hinder these efforts. We spend more than 75% of our waking hours doing one or a combination of these methods of communicating. This is the reason it is so important to understand the main impediments to your efforts.

Following are 4 key things that most individuals fail to understand which in turn hinders their communication efforts.

1. How to communicate

Most people often do not know how to communicate or were not taught how to do so. This can take many avenues in ignorance such as which medium to use. Sometimes the efficacy of your message could fizzle depending on what medium you choose to convey it. In other words, some things are better said in person rather than via phone or e-mail. Depending on the nature of your message, you have to discern the best method.

Furthermore, may people communicate from a standpoint of ego; they want to be the one who knows the most so they either communicate in part or deliberately withhold pertinent information that would better serve the whole. This way of presenting you message focuses on ego whereby the initiator not only wants to seem more important than he/she is but also shield himself/herself from looking foolish.

The point is that the way you communicate effectively is by being genuine and forthcoming. You endeavor to remove ego and put others first instead of yourself. Realize that it isn't about you; it is about the recipient(s) and it is for them to get the message.

2. Why you communicate

This might seem simple; however, it is almost always overlooked in the fine art of communication. It is important to understand why you are writing/saying what you are or reading/listening to what you are. Unless you know why, maintaining and/or obtaining any significant level of commitment on any call-to-action will be extremely difficult.

The "why" is the fuel for passion and focus which can make your message significantly more effective than it otherwise would be. The bottom line is that if you don't know why you are doing something, you are either satisfied with being a lamb led to slaughter, simply upholding the status quo and accepting mediocrity or you lack your own voice. In any case, it amounts to the same thing, confusion and disarray among the ranks.

3. From where you communicate

This is an element that escapes most; they do not understand just how crucial this is in communicating effectively. One of the most important elements of communication is authenticity. The fact is that if you are not 100% genuine in your communication, the response you get will be likewise.

In other words as one of my great teachers puts it, "Communication is the response you get."

This is to say that you should always communicate from the heart guided by your conscience – your spirit. This makes it easier to take responsibility for what you write and say because you believe it to be true and righteous at your core. It doesn't mean that you have to think this deeply at every exchange – just that you are aware that unless you are authentic, any response you receive will be likewise tainted. Even if you get what you want in the short-run, you most certainly will not be able to sustain it in the long-run.

4. When to communicate

This is as crucial an element as any of the others and in many cases, the most crucial of all. I will simply go with another one of my great teachers' analogy.

Francis Cole Jones, author of the bestseller How To Wow recommends the H.A.L.T. method of knowing when to communicate. The acronym basically means, refrain from communicating when in any of the following 4 states:

• Hungry
• Angry
• Lazy, or
• Tired

The point is that in any of these states, you are much less equipped with the wherewithal to communicate effectively. In these states you are more liable to write or say something that you'll regret later – sometimes immediately after release. Ever had one of those moments?

Furthermore, you certainly will not be in any condition to read or listen; hence you will be less likely to grasp the real and full message.

Additionally, it is important to know when to simply listen without responding. Most people still don't understand that listen is a method of communicating and sometimes that's all you need do. In fact, unless you are dealing with a child, people will most often give you queues or outright permission to offer advice or opinion. So, unless you are the initiator, listening without response is ok unless you are invited to do so. This is a good rule of thumb.

Once you have understood these hindrances, it will be easier for you to overcome the barriers to effective communication.

 

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How to Improve Your Listening Skills

“Listening is a gift; give it often.” – Chris Baran.

We spend probably about 80% of our waking lives doing 4 things – reading, writing, speaking or listening. Essentially, we are constantly communicating in some way shape or form. In my experience effective communication is the most important skill that you can develop as a human being. I have found that the quality of our communication reflects the quality of our lives.

Fundamentally, communication is the response you get and the results you achieve.

What is also interesting is that most people from the time they enter kindergarten have been trained on how to read, write and speak BUT not on how to listen. Most people are clueless as to what it means to really listen to another human being. We often hear but seldom do we listen.

How well do you think you listen? Do you have selective or conditional hearing or are you one of the rarities among us who actually listens to the person speaking to you?

True listening requires a certain level of awareness and commitment in order to be effective at it. While it is a gift that we can all give, it is in fact also a skill that we can all learn, develop and strengthen.

Highly effective individuals are very good listeners; they practice being good listeners consistently. This is because they understand that you learn the most about others and situations when you are silent.

The goal of this article is to provide a guideline that when applied will most certainly help you improve your listening skills.

One of my mentors puts it this way…

When you truly listen to someone, they walk away feeling better about themselves for having been around you. That is a powerful feeling – I know – I’ve been on both sides of the coin.

To improve your listening skills you must endeavor to improve in these 3 areas of your personal growth – these must become habits.

1.   Desire to be a good listener

No matter what you say or do or what anyone else says or does, you will not succeed as a good listener unless you truly want to be one. In order to be a good listener, you have to actively seek to improve your listening skills. It is important to be open not only to new ideas and techniques but to the coaching of a qualified individual.

No amount of seminars and workshops can help you become a better listener unless you do not desire to be one. It’s a very simply concept; if you truly want to be a good listener then you make choices and take action that lead you to becoming just that.

The true measure of a good listener will show up in the next 2 disciplines that you will need to practice in order to improve your listening skills. It’s one thing to say that you want to be a good listener and entirely another to actually do it.

We are conditioned to speak first before we listen; this is because as I said before, most of us have been trained for years on how to read, write and speak. Even as adults as we embark on our careers, how often have you ever been to a program or seminar that taught you how to listen?

Personally, it has only been through my own pursuit of personal growth and development that I have even been able to work on this skill. I have had to request certain programs or seminars where this is taught. The point is that most of us don’t have these types of experiences handed to us; it is not even deemed important or a priority in most organizations.

Everyone will tell you immediately when asked that listening is important; however, I assert that most have no clue what that really means. Listening is a skill that has to be developed and most of us have not been formally taught that before we can really listen to someone else, we have to truly desire it.

So, first desire to be a good listener and then make choices and take action that leads you in that direction.

2. Seek to truly understand

Understanding… such a vital part of being an effective listener yet most don’t know what it truly means. One of the most basic human needs is to feel understood. So many conflicts could be avoided if only more people sought to truly understand others and more people felt truly understood by others.

Have you ever seen a toddler throw a tantrum? Many psychologists and other intellectuals will tell you that most tantrums come from the frustration of not feeling understood. This is because toddlers don’t yet have the language skills to fully communicate exactly what they want. These instances almost always lead to tantrums even as parents attempt to discipline and figure out why their children act so “kooky” as my daughter would say – it does nothing to simmer the tantrum.

Adults can act out even worse when they don’t feel understood; often times they just shut down and you have a hard time penetrating that armor.

The bottom line here is that in order to be a good listener, you must seek to truly understand. Most people rush to be understood first and end up hitting a brick wall. You see, it is a natural thing for people to clam up when they don’t feel understood and also to be more open when they do.

Your awareness of this provides you with an advantage; be careful though – it is not meant to be manipulation. Knowing that it is important to first be understood, your goal in improving your listening skills is to seek understanding first.

By understanding, I don’t mean glazing over with empty responses like “I see and uh uh and ok.” I mean for you to really make the sincere effort to see things through the eyes of the other person. In essence, you must seek to embody their perception. When you believe that you have reached a true understanding of the other person’s plight, you must be able to restate it to him/her to his/her satisfaction.

True understanding requires that you seek the kind of comprehension that allows you to repeat back to the other person what they are trying to convey and do a better job of it.

That means that along with the desire to be a good listener, you have to be genuine in your pursuit to truly understand. Most people are usually only listening for their turn to talk. Even before they have had a chance to hear what the other person has to say, they have already decided what they are going to say. What happens in these instances is that not only do you miss what is truly being said but they also alienate and frustrate the other person.

Additionally, when no one is truly listening to each other, you often end up with 2 one-way conversations going nowhere very fast. This is why it is crucial that you seek to truly understand the other person in order to improve your listening skills.

3. Empathize

Without practicing the other 2 disciplines, it will be difficult for you to empathize with the other person. In order for you to show true empathy, you need to have a full understanding of the way the other person sees things and how it makes them feel.

Most people attempt to give cliché answers and fluff the other person off. What ends up happening though is the trust goes way down and the other person closes up. You can forget about getting your point across; you may as well attempt to pick up the rock of Gibraltar with your pinky.

True empathy is the ability to show that you’ve put yourself in the other person’s shoes. At the very least, it must show that you’ve tried and if you are genuine about it that will come through to the other person.

Even if you truly understood a person and still could not relate because of your experiences, it is more empathetic to allow that to come through because true empathy demands authenticity. Rather than pretend like you care or that you can relate, it is far better to let the person know that while you understand exactly what he/she is trying to say, you can’t imagine what he/she is going through. This is the best avenue if you have no frame of reference.

Often times when people have no frame of reference; instead of simply admitting that – they choose to give you high level advice from a low level of understanding. If you truly want to destroy trust and close a person off – try to fake empathy. It is one of the most insincere things you can do to a person. This most certainly turns people off – they won’t trust you.

True empathy demands that you remain genuine; good listeners are genuine listeners. There is no shortcut – no magic bullet – you have to be genuine.

If you can improve in these 3 areas – make them habits – I guarantee you that you will become a much more effective listener and achieve much better results in your endeavors and personal growth.

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