In this post:
- It's hard to lead when you're worried
- It's OK if you're feeling worried
- Five things you can do.
It's hard to lead when you're worried
Are you worried about how things are going to go this year? You're not alone. It's been a weird time. The economy is wobbly, the government is new, and everything is changing. Whether you're leading a team or a family, you could be forgiven for feeling worried.
If you're not affected by economic or political change, you might find we simply live in worrying times. Being in charge isn't simple anymore. You might worry about things that weren't on the agenda 20 years ago. Things like:
- Are we vulnerable to cyber attacks?
- How do I protect my team's mental health and well-being?
- Are we environmentally responsible?
- Do we have an inclusive work environment?
- Does our organisation need redesigning?
- Is our vision clear enough for people and customers to engage with?
No wonder we're tired. But whatever your job title is – Chief People Officer, Head of Marketing, Manager Strategy and Performance or Mum – worrying is not in your official job description. There is no prize for a Chief Worry Officer; if you let the pressure overwhelm you, you're no good to anyone.
It's OK if you're feeling worried
Being in charge doesn't mean you can be invulnerable to worry. You're a person, and you care. That's great. I'm worried, too, a lot. People are relying on me, and I hold a lot of space for their feelings and futures.
That load gets heavy and hard to bear, but it doesn't disqualify us from leadership. Successful leaders aren't as hard as rock. They're just strategic about managing the load - theirs and others - to work through the worry. Here are five valuable tips for managing the load.
1. Set clear expectations
Are you worried about how to do your job in this uncertain environment? It's ten times worse for people with less control, visibility, and agency than you. When people feel wobbly, they need you to reduce as much uncertainty as possible.
Don't leave people guessing about what you need from them. Be clear about what's required and agree on what's expected. You're not being harsh; you're being helpful. Clear is kind.
Next Steps
- Ask your team what they need certainty about right now
- Readjust priorities and projects in collaboration with affected staff members
- Hold people accountable with compassion.
2. Choose the proper outlet
You set the tone when you lead a family, team, or organisation. Vulnerability, authenticity and openness are important – but not at the cost of safety and security for people who rely on you for direction and support.
You might lie awake at night worried about whether you'll still be in business next month, but delegating that stress to your employees is unfair. And they can't tell you how unfair it is because they're worried about their jobs and keeping their mouths shut.
But that doesn't mean you should swallow your stress. You'll be eaten alive. Instead, work out the most appropriate outlet for each of your worries. You might share existential panic with your best friend, performance insecurity with your coach, financial concerns with your partner and deadline fears with your peers at the leadership table.
When they have somewhere to go, your worries become more manageable – ensure you're putting them in the right place.
Next Steps
- Assemble your personal Board of Directors
- Set clear intentions for what you share with your team and what you share with others.
3. Get perspective
Not all worries are created equally, but when we're overwhelmed, it can be difficult to distinguish between the truly important things and the trivialities. Realistically, at least half of your worries are unfounded or don't matter. It's time to simplify.
You can't work with what you can't see, so get your pen out. Write down everything you're stressing over and sort through them, Marie Kondo style. Score each worry out of 10 or list them in order of significance or likelihood. Organising your fears makes them far more conquerable.
Next Steps
- List all of your stressors and unanswered questions
- Sort through them, one by one.
4. Make decisions
When we're worried, every decision feels hard. In ambiguity, all choices blur together. Every time we try to choose a path, all we see are the other things this issue is connected to or dependent on.
There's no such thing as perfect information or perfect conditions. The more challenging our context gets, the more senior our job is, the murkier things become, and the more complex decisions are to make.
The good news is, most decisions are un-doable. The bigger risk is remaining in limbo and not making any decisions. Make small decisions and tweak as you go. Other things get clearer when you lock in one piece of the puzzle.
Don't panic about getting it wrong – you can change or fix it. Just decide and keep going.
Next Steps
- Make one important choice right now
- Use that as the basis for the next one
- Repeat as necessary.
5. Prepare for disaster
Some of the things you're worried about are going to happen. Most of them aren't. Other things you haven't even thought to worry about will pop up and completely rock your world.
Legislative change. A new competitor. Loss of a key staff member. It was a PR disaster. A big contract that falls through. I can't tell you what it will be – but I can tell you it will be something.
They don't warn you before you get promoted, how much of your job will be crisis response, do they? In the early stages, you're unaware of how much drama and disaster takes place around the leadership table and how rocky things are. You have a backstage pass now, and there's no avoiding it. So get ready for more.
Instead of trying to predict the future, get prepared. Expect disruption and build flexibility and scalability into your plans and processes. Make it as easy as possible to expand and contract. Sort your risks by impact – not likelihood – and put pre-emptive measures in place.
Most of all, cultivate an expectation of disruption. Learn to embrace the chaos rather than being surprised and rattled whenever something goes off plan. Practice saying, "It's fine, we've got this", with a confident demeanour, and get ready to do that a lot.
Because you've got this.
TL; DR
If you're feeling worried right now, that's OK. Don't let the stress consume you. Instead, work on five key ways to lead through the worry:
- Set clear expectations
- Choose the right outlet
- Get perspective
- Make decisions
- Prepare for disaster.
For more on how you can build these skills, check out Not An MBA – a game-changing alternative to traditional executive education for emerging and aspiring leaders.
Til next week,
A
Alicia McKay
