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"How YOU doin?" Leading when the going gets tough

bullyproof Apr 07, 2021

๐ŸŽ™๏ธ๐Ÿ’ฅ๐Ÿฅต Bullyproof hears from executive performance coach Craig Preston ...how do you lead your team when everyone – including you – are exhausted? Watch the sneak peek...  ๐Ÿฅต๐Ÿ’ฅ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ

Go to full interview: 

Podcast

YouTube

"How YOU doin'?" is a pickup line that encapsulates everything we know to be true about Joey in Friends, a man so confident in his looks and general appeal that he’d rarely pass up an opportunity to approach a beautiful woman. 

On a more serious note, how often do we ask someone how they're doing merely out of habit, without really meaning it? Being an authentic leader has never been more vital, which means really knowing how your people are doing - every individual. Perhaps even more importantly, asking yourself: "How am I doing?" 

We live in a time where leaders must step up to create safe and inclusive spaces for all - to speak up, say how they truly feel and ask for help.

"What drives me is being part of a group of people, in a team, trying to achieve something together. Getting into an environment where people can celebrate their own and each other's successes." Craig

Craig and I explore how to lead teams when the going gets tough and we took some inspiration from a recent HBR article: How to Lead When Your Team Is Exhausted — and You Are, Too

"I think it's fair to say that everybody is now exhausted, we are ready to move into a recovery phase, a reorganising phase, a renewal phase... People are drained, and it's not only the team members, it's the leadership as well. And we often forget that. We expect our leaders to behave in a certain way, but leaders are knackered themselves." Craig

Here are some of Craig's top tips for leaders: 

  • Balance urgency vs. importance: Deal with today's stuff, but also make some time in your day to plan ahead.

  • Take quality time to recover: Remember, elite performance requires elite recovery.

  • Balance compassion vs. containment: Be vulnerable, honest and authentic - genuinely care for your people, but also LEAD - you get paid to LEAD - you have to 'show up'  for your people. Think about how you show up. 

  • Celebrate small successes: Find things to celebrate on a day to day basis... energise your people daily, give your people a clear routine and a sense of purpose.

  • Don't make assumptions: We don't know what we don't know .... we don't know what life is going to be like once we get through this. We don't know how we are going to feel. Take a step back and allow things to unfold naturally.

This was a seriously insightful discussion. If you are looking for inspiration to move through the next three to six to twelve months with poise, look no further.

Craig Preston is a leading executive performance coach and his rich background - as an officer in the British Army, executive in the commercial and consulting sectors, MD of the Inspirational Development Group and his work with world class performers in professional sport means Craig has a unique blend of experience in a high performance environment.

๐Ÿงก๐Ÿฆ It's time to find your ROAR! ๐Ÿฆ๐Ÿงก  

Listen to the Podcast | watch us in action on YouTube

 

 

 

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