It’s been a tough week. I am certainly feeling overwhelmed. For me, I’ve written and discarded multiple drafts, unsure how to respond. I’m sure you’re in a similar position. Especially those of you with the protests, police and escalating military might right outside your door. My ❤️ goes out to all of you struggling as leader.

Leaders have a responsibility to build the best environment for their team. A responsibility to create order out of chaos. In terms of chaos, people are looking for direction and you can provide it. In Coping with a Crisis I share how leaders should EAT (Empathise, Acknowledge, Take Action).

Empathise by reaching out to your team and ask them how they are doing. It’s impossible to fully separate emotions from the work. Share how you’re feeling - you’re probably sharing some similar emotions.

Acknowledge the situation. It’s impossible to pretend certain events aren’t happening. Focus on facts. Remember you may have team members with different values from yourself. Consider running a (distributed) “fireside chat” to talk about these topics openly.

Finally, Take Action - Consider what options you have available to you, based on what you can control and influence. For many of us, control will be what you do, how you communicate and how you react. Choose to focus on actions that foster psychological safety, the foundation of high-performing teams. To do this, actively encourage inclusive behaviour and discourage any exclusive behaviour you see. When you allow certain behaviour, it is accepted as part of the culture. Invite people to learn more about biases. Some of the articles I’ve included this week offer ideas for you as leaders.

I hope you enjoy this week’s content. If you find it useful, please forward to someone else and send me feedback. Stay safe and healthy 🙏

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