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Most of the articles I write tell stories about how our company dealt with a problem and all the pieces worked out. As I write today, we are in the middle of a crisis – a third-party fraud crisis that can require months of brainstorming and vast amounts of product development data to mitigate. It’s improving. We have a clear roadmap for building and implementing the vital tools that is almost complete, and most of the problems are behind us, but we are still in the middle of the storm.
Last week, I took a variety of Seattle-area employees out for small group meals to make sure I listened to and answered all their questions and got to know people in a more intimate setting. Many people contributed to the exertions of finding a solution, so I expressed my appreciation and tried to address any concerns. During one such lunch, a team member asked how I managed to maintain my comfort level under such circumstances. I replied, “Because of the people on our team.”
Our company is a living case study in how resilience and unity support a team in times of crisis. Unity is a network of common purpose and support that makes it easier to cope with adversity. Resilience is greater than just surviving challenges, but thriving despite them. We have dealt with larger threats before, but as we have gone from seven employees to over 70, I have refined my approach to ensure we are resilient and united to deal with it. Here’s how.
Be proactive
Instead of waiting for a crisis to strike, leaders should actively build a united team that can bounce back from any challenge. (*4*) a foundation of trust and respect that nurtures unity takes every day effort, so establish regular communication and relationship building as a practice long before problems arise. Otherwise, it is going to take much more work to communicate, connect and gather at a time when it might be higher to conserve resources.
When our team was smaller, I could look everyone in the eye and trust that they felt connected, informed, and motivated. As a larger, more distant team, I rely more on managers for insight into everyone’s concerns. When my direct reports told me that team members had questions, I made short videos to answer them, and the positive feedback was overwhelming. Many team members found this format comforting, like an in-person meeting, and I plan to proceed video updates as a regular practice. By building higher communication and stronger relationships, as a substitute of panicking when a crisis hits, we move through it with purpose and unity.
Make it easy for people
Today’s crisis is unlikely to be the last, and getting people into trouble when it does arise will be frightening. Without resilience and unity, fear can turn out to be a company’s best enemy, turning even the smallest hit into a automobile crash. When negative perceptions turn out to be established, people stop talking about unity and get lost in their very own heads. Instead of pondering about resilience and unity, crisis hits and they lose hope.
Give each child steps to cope with a crisis by providing secure opportunities for them to exercise. The first time we face a challenge is the scariest only because we are least prepared to deal with it. Enough low-risk challenges arise on their very own to provide individuals with the opportunity to overcome and overcome them, making future, larger events easier to cope with. Solving that first encounter with a problem will be like running a race without practice – the finish line seems so distant and not possible to cross. The more we do it, the less scary the process becomes.
Transparency is key
When you lead in times of crisis, communication needs to be clear, honest and regular. Reply when people have questions. Stay calm and be honest about the reality of the problem, its urgency and the resources allocated to contain and rebuild it. Transparency may help calm people’s fears through an uncomfortable process. It also encourages others to get involved in the solution. By providing my team with transparency about the fraud, they got here together to create a solution faster than expected. People are more likely to respond to transparency with patience or to offer help.
Communicating in person could also be easier than using distant tools to read body language and signals during interpersonal exchanges which will indicate discomfort. By eating meals one-on-one with my team members, I could hear their concerns and feel that they were comfortable with the topic, and they may more easily trust my assurances. They should still have questions that I can not answer, but I can explain what steps are inside our control, how long they need to take, and when they will expect a reassessment. When we show people where we’re going, it’ll be easier for them to get on board.
Celebrate with balance
In difficult times, leaders must address everyone’s concerns, acknowledge that the storm is still brewing, and rejoice inside a reasonable time – but this requires balance and sometimes a leap of religion. Even though the solution to our fraud crisis was in place and we were ready to implement it, it was with some trepidation that I announced that I wanted to give everyone an extra break day as a thank you because we still had a lot of labor ahead of us. Celebrating victories while solving a pressing problem could appear ill-advised or disconnected.
At the same time, people were drained. It took us months to create all the tools we wanted to solve our problem, and it might take several more to implement and evaluate them. The right balance of gratitude during one storm can motivate people to proceed striving for the calm that can come soon.
As leaders, the steps we take before a crisis defines our team’s future resilience. While many of those steps are experimental, they reflect the principles we apply throughout the yr to build a steadfast team. We may encounter difficulties and need to change course, but with a plan to remain resilient and united, I trust that we are going to overcome all the pieces.