As leaders during a crisis, it has never been more important to connect emotionally with our people and co-workers. If we cannot help them to understand their own reactions and needs, we cannot help them to navigate through. Although we might not be able to fix everything, we can help ourselves and others to make things a little better.
From my work with leaders over the years, many find making emotional connection difficult. They have drawn a mental (and emotional) line for themselves demarcating what is “appropriate” at work. In this work, I have noticed that understanding the science of emotion can help to sign-post us to something that feels appropriate and supportive.
When great leaders hit rough times they dig deeper, search for creative solutions and inspire the people around them to achieve great things. They also take time to pause and reflect, to pay attention to what is happening in, and around the organisation. They plan for every eventuality and only after careful consideration and preparation do they act.