After three months of lock-down in the UK we are just beginning to see some changes in daily life, but we could never describe this as ‘normal’. A mask and gloves are now essential items we cannot leave the house without, and scrupulous hand washing and sanitizing has become second nature. We cross the street to avoid those coming towards us and schedule the least busy time to go and do the most mundane shopping. And yet this has become the norm remarkably quickly.
In organizational settings we bemoan how difficult change is and run endless training courses to support change management. Yet here we have seen the most dramatic changes in behaviour in our lifetime within 12 weeks. The current situation has just highlighted how adaptable we can be when the case is made strongly enough, and needs must. Shops, offices and all manner of working contexts have changed beyond recognition in a few short weeks. This is not to say the change has been easy, and some people are experiencing significant issues. However, it does highlight how resilient and adaptable we can be to new and changing circumstances. We have Zoom quiz nights, socially distanced picnics and have learnt to exercise in whole new ways. I once read in a book that if you woke up tomorrow as a giant insect, you would find a way to cope……..and you probably would!
 
What has this period taught you about our ability to change?
What adaptations have you made that you might have thought impossible 6 months ago?
What new strengths have you discovered you have?
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Over the last 12 weeks the UK has been in ‘lockdown’ with strident restrictions on movement and activities outside the home. And yet, at least three senior government advisors have been forced to leave high profile jobs due to poor publicity caused by not following their own rules. Debate still rages about additional figures who also broke lockdown rules but somehow remain in post.
The argument is simple, how can you retain command and authority over others, when not abiding by the same rules. This only works in highly dictatorial situations where despot leaders rule by fear. Even in military situations with strong hierarchies, soldiers put their lives at risk for the greater good knowing their peers and superiors would do the same. When people feel a different set of rules exist for the elite, rebellion has been a common historical consequence.
If we seek to gain commitment from others the principle of ‘fairness’ is paramount. This does not mean everyone is treated in exactly the same way, rather that a principle of fairness is seen to operate. Salaries will differ by role, but if this is seen as ‘fair’ reward people will accept the differential. We will accept that disability requires additional support, not available to others, in order to ensure fairness of opportunity. Problems arise when leaders do not justify the case for why differential treatment exists.
 
How are you leading by example in the current challenging climate?
What can you do to communicate the principle of fairness?
Where are the potential challenges to perceived fairness in your context?

As we move into our second month of lock-down we have all been faced with working with the ‘new normal’. Regular remote meetings and innovative approaches are springing up as we resourcefully meet the new challenges. I suspect that nothing will ever go back to how it once was now we have discovered and adapted to these new ways of working. We might well start to reassess what travel is really necessary, and how much office space we actually require. However, we may also find that our perceptions of individuals have also changed.  I was struck this week by the view that celebrities are fast losing support, as they fail to identify with the realities of what normal people are facing in their social media activities. Clients too have explained how certain people have unexpectedly stepped up the mark with a flexible and adaptable approach, while others have entrenched in established protocols refusing to make the best of a less than ideal landscape. ‘Done is better than perfect’ was a regular mantra at Facebook, and this is surely the current requirement. We need to let go of ideals, in favour of solutions fit for the current reality. This is not to let go of our principles, but to help everyone move forward. What example and leadership are you engaging with?
Consider how your own approach may be interpreted by other.
 
What example are you setting to others?
What lessons are others taking from your current approach to leadership?
How are you contributing to the resilience and stability of those you work with?
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We are facing an event that will define our generation and in the UK as well as across the world we express our sympathy to everyone who has suffered a loss, our gratitude to anyone working to support others and send our best wishes to those recovering. It seems an odd and difficult time for everyone and many are finding the degree of change hard to deal with. For some they are suddenly left idle, while for others it seems a time when they are struggling to keep up. I have been kept very busy redesigning material to deliver remotely, so what I am doing is the same yet different. However, what has been interesting has been the areas where we have seen either new opportunities or expanded opportunities. It can be difficult to maintain a positive attitude and personal motivation in these unprecedented times and yet opportunities have emerged. These can sometimes be the lifeline that can engage us and contribute to our own well-being.
 
Around the world we have seen factories being repurposed to output key supplies, transitioning from things like formula one engineering to building ventilators. In the UK there has been huge growth in unexpected product sales such as jigsaws, and freezers! Delivery services and on-line communication platforms are stretched to breaking point and people continue to apply their skills in innovative ways to support others. Countless on-line activities have emerged to support education, exercise and connection. On-line Zumba, drawing lessons and virtual choirs, providing some examples of our human ingenuity. For many this creates a meaning and purpose to their activities, enabling them to feel their contributions are useful and important. There are therefore opportunities that arise as a result of any dark or difficult situation. These may be opportunities to help, opportunities for growth or opportunities to contribute.
 
Where are the opportunities in your area?
What might you be able to contribute?
How can you build on those opportunities?

I do a great deal of training that gives managers the skills to coach their staff which invariably relies on helping them ask appropriate questions. I spend a great deal of time trying to explain how people react to directive instruction, even if it comes in the form of a questions. E.g. Have you thought of….. It can lead people to become obstructive and create defensiveness. In other cases, individuals lose confidence because the ‘instruction’ is taken to indicate that they are not capable of achieving the task without this direction. Whereas when we engage people with the problem solving, they feel more valued and experience a sense of agency. This feeling of self-direction and agency is a great motivator and this weekend I saw a very graphic display of this very phenomena in action.
 
My 3 year old grandson had just been allowed to put the tablet in the dishwasher so his mother asked him to put the box of tablets back in the cupboard. The little boy looked up at his mother and refused. He continued to insist that ‘Mummy do’ that! She asked him again very nicely and politely to carry out her request, but the little boy was not for changing his mind, despite an ongoing debate. Sensing a potential tantrum brewing I turned and said, ‘where do they belong, do you know?’ The little boy immediately picked up the box and returned it to its rightful home. Drama averted. Interesting how early we can see these patterns of behavior and how important it can be to remember this approach to managing staff as well as 3 year olds!  
 
When do you catch yourself asking directive questions?
How can you engage people more in the problem-solving process?
When do you need to ask more engaging questions?
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​As we move into the new decade many traditional new year resolutions will already have fallen by the wayside!  Change is hard and despite our best intentions we can often find ourselves falling into old habits. Whether it be better eating, more exercise or getting home earlier, it can be difficult to maintain the momentum and enthusiasm because it seems that operating in a new way is often draining.
 
When we attempt change it can be helpful to consider two aspects. The first is the mindset we approach the change with. Do we really believe we can change, or are we routed in a belief that we are not up to the task. We often talk about the fixed or growth mindset. People with a growth mindset are generally more successful because they believe that change and growth are possible for everyone. One school even introduced a ‘not yet’ grade!
 
The second point is to set realistic aims or targets. To suddenly claim that you will have weekly 1:1 with all staff is likely to be unrealistic and when you fail to achieve that lofty aim it is easy to then give up on the whole idea. Set small steps and milestones that can demonstrate your progress. What would be a sign that you were moving in the right direction? It might be to see everyone once a quarter.
 
What change would you like to implement in the new year?
What is needed to help you believe it is possible for you?
What would be a realistic milestone that would indicate progress?
 

Here in the UK we are currently doing a post-mortem on the events of our recent general election. Neither of the main parties had a universally popular leader, but the failure of Labour to maintain long held loyalties came in for much scrutiny with Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership attracting particular attention. What is interesting is the analysis of Tom Blenkinsop who commented that ‘’It didn’t matter what the message was, they didn’t like the messenger’.
 
This highlights a very interesting facet of the leadership role. Unless you can get people to believe you are worth listening to, it won’t matter what you say. Building the right relationship has to come first, with people believing that the leader is on their side, speaks their language, understands their issues and is strong enough to lead. Even if people do not agree with everything they hear, they will follow the leader they think can lead them. They look for particular characteristics in their leaders which may be different to those they look for in their friends, peers or colleagues. Consider what image of leadership you need to portray to get people on board and ready to listen to the message.
 
This of course highlights another very interesting aspect of human psychology. That our values, ideas and principles stop us really listening to people we have already dismissed as irrelevant. We are all subject to these listening biases that can limit the real picture we form of a situation. Consider how often you have sat in a meeting and started to wander mentally into the world of your e-mails and future tasks, because you have already decided the speaker is not worth listening to. This may seem effective time use but can affect our understanding of situations and people.
 
When do you tend to dismiss the speaker as irrelevant?
When do you need to display strength in your leadership?
What do others need to see you do?
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This month I have decided to bring to a close an event that I have been running almost monthly for many years. The event brings together a group of people with a common interest, but in recent times commitment has been patchy and it feels like the concept has become stale. For some time I had felt something had to change and it emerged that many of the group felt the same yet continued to support it out of loyalty and friendship. It feels like the end of an era but despite the sadness it is the right thing to do. Times change and we all need to move on.
 
Often we continue with things because we feel a commitment to others or because it is too much trouble to upset the status quo. In fact, much marketing and customer service policy is based on the ‘status-quo bias’ which is why the best offers are always to gain new customers rather than to retain existing ones. Most of us will just continue to accept the status quo and avoid making pro-active changes. In the organizational world, we face so much change that pro-actively initiating MORE change seems counter-intuitive. Yet we all have things we are involved with that may no longer have relevance, or need to change. Have the courage to review and stand back from those things. 
 
What do you need to stop doing?
How will you make the change?
What is the first step?

​This month I have been really unwell and despite being barely conscious, with a head full of cotton wool, I feel guilty if I am not at my desk doing useful work. I have been lucky that I have no pressing targets or events, yet still I cannot seem to take a day off. I know that I am not alone in this. I know many professionals who look after others far better than they do themselves.
Yet my research on resilience in leadership highlighted very clearly how important physical well-being is. Many tools and techniques are useful in building our personal resilience but if the body is physically exhausted, it is very hard to be resilient. It is not simply a question of powering through, because if the mind and the body disagree, the body will win! I know of one very senior executive who insisted he was fine despite everyone telling him the contrary. That was until he woke on the office floor surrounded by paramedics. The body had decided the only way to stop the depletion, was to shut down completely.
You do not need me to tell you how to keep your body healthy, the web is awash with advice on exercise, balanced diet, the value of sleep and the need for down time. But you will know what suits you and what your body needs. Look after your body, it is the only one you have!
 
When do you need to listen to your body more?
What does your body need in order to perform at its best?
How can you be kinder to yourself?