Adversity

I’ve always believed that true character is shown during times of adversity, and adversity is an understatement at this point.  I never could have imagined our company and industry would be faced with something this catastrophic.  Call me naive, but from everyone I have talked to over the past 10 days, most, like me, thought this crisis would last a few weeks, not critically impact our people, community, nation and world for months to come with no end in sight.

 The world is reeling and we are facing incredibly tough decisions for our businesses and our people.  During times like this we can’t fall into victim mode, complaining about the circumstances and spreading a “woe is me” mentality.  I do not want to downplay how difficult this is, but complaining is not going to move us forward.  Leading through the good times is pretty easy; it’s during trying times that our leadership is tested. I believe that true heart leaders will rise above the rest.

I have encouraged our team to focus on three most important things:

1) Communication. When there are so many unknowns, it is critical that we over communicate with our team.  We must admit what we do not know, share what we do know, and keep them in the loop as we rapidly process information.  Too many times leaders feel pressure to have all the answers.  Getting through challenging times requires leaders to lean in to their team and work together to find the answers.  This is the time to collaborate and the more information people have, the better able they are to come up with innovative solutions.

2) Heart - Emotions run high and stress shows up when things get tough.  We must be patient and show compassion for one another.  It is ok to show our emotions, acknowledge our fears, and express our concerns.  At the same time we must be strong for our teams, let them know we are there for them, and listen to their worries.  We must honor our team members as people and know that many business decisions will have a tremendous impact on their lives.  Delivering tough news with your heart (instead of the logic of your head) is crucial to express how much you care.  We also must provide hope and direction toward the light of the future for our existing team members.

3) Future - Now is the time to focus on what we can do to make sure we come out stronger on the other side.  Many people will hunker down and brace for the worst, cutting back on all activity and going into survival mode.  Others will see this as an incredible time to double down on projects, people, and ultimately position their teams for opportunities that will emerge as the world finds normalcy again.  Investing your time in preparing for the recovery requires no monetary commitment.

While there are still so many things out of our control, we CAN control how we communicate with our teams, we CAN show them we love and care about them, and we CAN put one foot in front of the other. We can evaluate our current situations and move forward by making it better everyday with the knowledge that we will all get through this together.

*Each week I share a leadership message with our team and we are honored to share it with you via MIBE Tribe.  MIBE (the acronym for Make It Better Everyday) Tribe delivers education on heart leadership and intentional culture building for the hospitality industry.