Most of the world is currently living through extraordinary circumstances and that can start to take its toll on us all. There is some research to suggest that although challenging, a trauma that we share with others can be potentially less damaging than personally traumatic experiences due to the social support that is so vital in tough times. However, it is clear that many are experiencing real hardship from the impact of the role they do, or by virtue of the economic or social impact of these times. For these people there can be serious concerns about mental health that need to be addressed.
 
For the rest of us it is easy to fall into a hole of negativity because so much is currently outside of our control. It is understandable to feel helpless and at the mercy of events. Yet if we can start to experience some agency it can help us feel better. Start by assessing what you can actually control. While we cannot control government decisions, we can control how we structure our working day and how much exercise or movement we engage with. Pouring endless energy into things that we cannot control drains us and can make things seem hopeless. Secondly, become aware of what does improve your mood. Is it exercise, funny videos or films, or maybe catching up with others? Once you know what helps, take positive action to plan and engage with those activities on a regular basis. Thirdly, look for positives. It is easy to spend endless hours in conversations about things you cannot control that make you feel worse. Where are the positives? For some it is less time commuting, for others maybe the chance to learn new skills or to slow down.
 
What can you control, and what needs to be parked as issues outside your control?
What activities energise you? How can you plan those into your week?
What are the positives you can be thankful for? How can you keep those front of mind?
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‘The meaning of the communication is in it’s effect.’
 
I came across this quote some years ago and it seems particularly apt in the current crisis. This suggests that if what is being said is not having the desired effect, then it is clearly not being communicated to the right people in the right way. The communication process is made up of a number of steps. Firstly, that we frame our message clearly and it is transmitted in a language and through a medium that gets to the right people. We then need the audience to want to engage and listen, to ultimately achieve an effect. At the moment, there seems to be a lot said that may not be having the desired effect.
 
It is easy to play the blame game and say the fault lies with those who do not comply, yet we could argue that either the message is poorly transmitted or the case has not been made. If the motivations and arguments were felt to related to the right people, appropriate influence would be the result. There are clearly decisions about the amount of ‘carrot or stick’ that might be needed but the communicator must examine their own part in the failure to communicate effectively. What might be being communicated through actions, policies and examples set? Is the message coherent, or contradictory?  
 
In organisations we often have situations where we need to influence others, this relies on effective communication with the right people at the right time. However, we also need to motivate and engage others to listen to that message and make the motivational case to achieve the desired impact. If people are not listening, you are not saying it in the right way, irrespective of the words you may be using!
 
Where have you seen communication fail to achieve the desired impact?
What can you learn from those experiences?
How can you ensure you communicate in a coherent and effective way?

It is now December in a very strange year where the world has had to adapt to a new way of operating. Uncertainty and change have become the norm, which presents a slight paradox!
 
Now every December the music chart seems to enter a time warp as everyone downloads and streams their favorite Christmas tunes. But this year, this seems to have started very early. After only the first week of December the chart is overly populated with Christmas songs and for the first time ever since its release in 1994, Mariah Carey is topping the UK chart with ‘All I want for Christmas is you’. I found myself wondering why this might be. Clearly everyone is in need of some Christmas cheer, but I also wonder if the familiar brings some comfort.
 
In organisations, people often react badly to change because it is unfamiliar and they seek to return to the comfort zone of the previous status quo. Those who are relocated to new countries are also more likely to have a successful posting if there are aspects of family life and possessions that are familiar and consistent.
 
We know that the brain has only limited resources, known as Ego Depletion. It works most efficiently when many decisions are automated, so when everything requires processing power it can be draining. At the moment everything is drawing brain power and maybe the surfeit of Christmas classics are simply a reflection of retreat into the safe and the familiar?
 
When do you find yourself most drained?
What familiar routines can you engage with to support yourself and others?
How can you lift the spirits of everyone this month? 

In the UK this month the Home Secretary has been found to have ‘unintentionally’ used inappropriate language and behaviour with staff in her department. Because it was ‘unintentioned’ this seems to exempt her from any blame in the matter despite the fact that this behaviour was not confined to a single incident or outburst.
 
Leaders are judged on the example they set and the culture they create, so to have repeated example of behaviours that are deemed in breach of organizational standards is of some concern. However, the greater failure may not be in the behaviour itself, but rather in the failure to recognize it as an issue at the time. If it was ‘unintentional’ this suggests three things in the sequence of events. Firstly, that this leader is unaware of the standards expected. Secondly, that she is unable to manage and control how emotions manifest in relation to organizational standards. And finally, that this particular leader does not have the emotional awareness to judge how others are reacting and the impact that her actions are having. Brought together this is a worrying mix of attributes that point to a lack of self-awareness and an inability, or unwillingness, to change and respond to the environment. A road rage incident that got out-of-hand may exhibit many similarities!
 
Where are you in danger of unintentionally going too far?
What do you need to do to manage your own emotional reactions, internally and externally?
How can you ensure you raise your awareness of how others are responding?
 

As the winter approaches the UK is struggling to develop a coherent strategy in answer to Covid. The most recent approach seems to be to ask people to follow their ‘Common Sense’. Now, as a psychologist I find this idea an interesting strategy, it certainly allows for personal autonomy and freedom, and it is a hard one for anyone to disagree with because ‘common sense’ is a relative concept! What I consider common sense may be very different for what you consider to be common sense. ‘Common sense’ is based on everyone making a personal judgement, but here’s the thing, a personal judgement is made based on the information and the perspective you choose to take.
 
In the past I have worked with many people who managed to do things that I found baffling, yet to them passed the ‘common sense’ test. The finance manager who decide to send out a 2 line e-mail telling everyone that the tea ladies would be replaced by machines was a particular highlight. But more recently, managers often complain that employees seem to lack ‘common sense’ without any appreciation that their landscape and experience is very different. Common sense tells the sales manager that keeping the customer happy with personal adaptations has to be the priority to maintain revenue, while the operations manager decides that the ‘personal adaptations’ are costly and will set a dangerous precedent that will cause a spiraling cost base. Both can back their argument with facts and numbers yet have an emotional set of priorities that can never be reconciled. It would certainly be an interesting organization strategy to ask all new recruits to just use ‘their common sense’!
 
Where do you assume that others have common sense that may not be justified?
What do you need to understand about how others judge ‘common sense’ decisions?
How can you build a common perspective on ‘common sense’?
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​As we speed through September in the new working world many are losing trust in the ability of governments to manage the crisis of Covid 19. Here in the UK policy seems to be made reactively with a very strong political agenda, and the Brexit situation only adds to that feeling on unease. If my government cannot be trusted to comply with international law, then what can they be trusted with?
 
But ‘trust’ is an odd concept and often difficult to pin down. One of the best explanations comes from Stephen MR Covey in his book, ‘The Speed of Trust’. He defines trust as being built on the perception of two key factors, character and competence. We need to believe the individual has integrity and the character that we can trust. However, this alone is not enough. In order to trust someone, we also need to believe they are competent in the domain we expect them to operate in. I would trust my husband with my life, but not to carry out the brain surgery my life depended on! We therefore might ask if we believe the current policy makers have both character and competence?
 
The working world is no different. Those in leadership who seek the trust of their people so they will follow the prescribed path through difficult times also need to demonstrate their character and competence.
 
How do you demonstrate your character?
What do you need to do to communicate competence?
What actions do you need to take to inspire trust?
 

​August has been a strange month in the UK. Life is trying to return to normal but the goal posts keep moving. One minute families try to arrange a last minute get-away to a ‘safe’ country, before the return to school. Next minute the country is no longer deemed safe and a two-week quarantine has been announced that might stop them getting to school anyway. That is, if schools do go back and parents feel reassured to let their children attend at all!
 
Throughout the Covid 19 period it is clear that things are changing on a daily basis but what most people are finding frustrating is the constant changes and the minimal notice on things that have huge impact on people’s lives. These factors give the impression that policy is being made in a reactive way and implies a lack of control. To some degree, there is no control in a new unfolding and unknown pandemic situation, but people need to feel secure in the knowledge that decisions are being taken in their best interests and that they are in fact being led.
 
I am reminded of the well-established principle of situational leadership (Goleman). This is now a relatively old model that sets out how different leadership styles are needed in different circumstances. We often say that times of crisis require a more authoritarian and prescriptive style not only to aid speed of decision making, but also to inspire confidence in others. Constantly changing course, without notice or rationale does little to reassure others that the leader is following a true belief or a higher goal.
 
How are you adapting your leadership style for the current situation?
What leadership style is needed in your context at the moment?
What do you learn about leadership through change from your current experiences?

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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