Getting back together - take time to reflectThe leadership you show in this crisis will impact your recovery.

As we get through this crisis its important to remember to stay compassionate and keep humanity at the forefront of our decision making as much as possible. Remember sometimes very hard decisions have to be made for the greater good but there’s no reason to remove caring and empathy from the procedures. I remember meeting a woman whose best friends were people she had fired at one time because she kept the human connection even working with them to find new jobs. Its the right thing to do and you need to remember that there will be a recovery and a tough one at that and you will need trust in the bank to use a fuel to empower this recovery. Do the right thing, always.

Before the recovery there will be a reckoning.  Thats ok – just be ready for it.

These are tough times – for some far more than others. The stresses of the change of environment, the uncertainty of the future, the worry about mortality of self and loved ones and the coming economic tidal wave will generate an environment in the near future involving both fiscal hardship and PTSD. We are all doing our best to limit the fiscal damage but its only one element. The stresses which many have not experienced before will leave their mark long after the acute part of the Pandemic has passed. Think about the stresses of two parents trying to work in a house with several bored children. Arguments and harsh words. And stress – there’s still a mortgage and bills to pay. As schools resume and many go back to their place of work the stress, repression of emotion, anxiety and other elements will surface and we let go of the metaphorical breath and try to get oxygen back into our system. Think of those healthcare workers as every day they go to work with tension and worry at the risk of not only contracting Covid19 but of bringing it home to the people they love. I have seen the worry and bravery up close. Its hard to watch. Again there will be a price for this. Like radioactivity – you can be exposed to so much, after which there will be long term effects.

Help your resilience.

Ignoring this problem will not make it go away. Leaders need to prepare for its impact. Bring empathy and compassion to your people. Remember they are mostly not the same as you. They will all suffer and express suffering in different ways. They will have been through this with various levels of coping skills and experience of this sort of thing. Some will skip back to the workplace, some will run, and some will come in smoking from their experience. They need help now with their resilience to reduce the levels of their stress. No need to wait for it to blow up. Bring support, reassurance, care and realistic optimism to them now. Take the time to listen, to share experiences, to empathise, to get some oxygen in and to recover before you start into it again. Remember to also look after yourself. Taking time to think, breathe and energise yourself. Like the aircraft oxygen mask get your own on first so you can help those around you.

We have a short video we put together at ADEO Consulting with mindfulness tips to help resilience. I hope it helps.

Take Care

Aidan Higgins