My coaching clients often tell me I bring ‘calm amid chaos’ and the ability to make ‘the most uncomfortable, comfortable’.
Below are three themes that have emerged during my coaching sessions these past six weeks as we are all learning to navigate through COVID-19. I’m sharing them as they might feel familiar and hopefully bring you a bit of ‘calm and comfortable’.
PARENTING OVER WORKSHEETS. Parents with school age children are now teachers and for many they are juggling their career as well.
- Ask yourself, what will your children remember in 15 years? How you parented during this crisis or which worksheets and assignments were completed? How do you want them to remember you?
- Education is important; however, it can be achieved in a balanced and personalized manner. You and your child know what works best in your individual context, be brave and do what’s best for your family overall.
EMPATHY & LEADERSHIP OVER TASKS. As a leader what legacy do you want to leave?
- How do you want your team to talk about how you handled the challenges of COVID-19? Do you want to be the ‘manager’ who got every task done on time no matter what the cost of your staff? Or do you want to be the “leader” who showed empathy, understood the realities in front of your employees and provided the support and inspiration to meet the demands of both work and home?
- Have you embraced the principles of servant leadership? A few of my favorite principles include: Putting your teams needs ahead of your personal ones, involve the team in decision making, demonstrate humility, and build community. If you are doing these well, your team will have higher engagement and more trust, which will ultimately lead to increased innovation.
TAKE CARE OF YOU. How can you be your best for others if you don’t take care of you?
- Many of my clients are focused on everyone else. Their family’s safety, meeting the demands of their job, teaching their kids, providing balanced meals, mastering the art of at home crafts, and the list goes on and on.
- I challenge everyone to find 15 minutes in the next 24 hours to focus on: What brings you joy, something that calms you, or an activity that will energize you.
- And of course, the next challenge will be to make this a habit that repeats regularly and lasts more than 15 minutes……