Throw Out Fifty Things

This is exactly the right moment to step forward. We've got a new year waiting for us...beaconing us, inviting us to cross that threshold. But almost everything in us is telling us to wait, to hunker down, to pull up the covers. Don't do it.

Sometimes it takes a crisis...in a country, in a company, in a life, for us to know how good we are, what we're made of...for us to find the courage, in spite of the noise and chaos, to lift up our heads and lead. Well, we've got a crisis, so let's lead.

Recently, I encouraged an individual who runs a large division of a financial institution, to step forward and motivate his extremely worried and demoralized team. He responded, "Well, Gail, I think we have to wait for there to be some light at the end of the tunnel before we talk about motivation."

"You could wait a lifetime for that," I said. "Hey, where would we be if Churchill and Roosevelt had adopted that attitude? You've got to create your own light." And he did. He called his people together, invited them to let go of the past, create a vision for the future, and remember how incredibly good, talented and courageous they were. It worked. They got back their energy, their focus and their resolve. And not surprisingly, you're starting to see it in the "numbers."

The steps to leading in the midst of chaos are not complex. In fact, you already know what to do:


Six Steps To Leading Effectively in the Midst Of Change

1. Let go of the past. Let go of the old way. Let go of being right about how wrong it is, of how you or anybody else, should have done it differently. You can’t grow if you don’t let go. Go home and throw out fifty things! Move on.

2. Keep your eye (and the eyes of everyone on your team) on what good could look like, what’s possible, where the opportunity lies - in spite of the uncertainty of the moment. People need motivation just as much as they need information in stressful times. Make sure they get it.

3. Take a look at the so-called barriers to your getting what you want, to bringing your vision to life. Decide which are real and which are imagined. Change the things you can; accept the things you can’t.

4. Get back in touch with what makes you unique. Complete the sentence: “I’m____and I’m the one who…” Re-define the essence of your particular brand. Ask the members of your team to do the same. Remember, if enough people love ya, the ones who don’t, don’t matter.

5. Edit what you listen to, watch on the news, tell yourself and other people. Remember, we are what we think about. So don’t burden yourself and others with the worst possible thoughts. It’s a total waste of energy and drags you back – at the exact moment when you should be moving forward.

6. Celebrate how good you are, how far you’ve come, how much you’ve learned. This is a “defining moment.” Embrace it. You’ve got everything you need to ultimately profit from it.

Tags: change, lead, six, steps, time, to

Reply to This

© 2009   Created by Gail Blanke

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Privacy  |  Terms of Service