Leading in Difficult Times - Key Concepts

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WE ARE IN A TIME WHERE WE ARE FACED WITH A LOT OF UNCERTAINTIES AND HIGH THREAT LEVELS

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP YOUR PEOPLE ?

Level 1 In your broader environment ( There is a bear in the region )

- Some type of danger that you become aware of

Level 2 In your neighbourhood ( There is a bear in the neighbourhood )

- You are alert and pay a lot more attention

- Alarm systems go off- Physical systems go up and thinking goes down

- Not good at creative thinking

Level 3 Upon you ( There is a bear chasing after you )

- There is a real danger- Fight / Flight / Freeze

- Systems gear up for survival- Physical goes up and thinking mental systems go down

- Panic situation

POSSIBLE THREATS

  1. Potential life-threatening health risk

  2. Health of your loved ones

  3. Health of your friends, co-workings and community

  4. Health of the whole planet

  5. Your finances

  6. Your loved one’s finances

  7. Wider economic activity

  8. Generally “what’s going to happen”

As Leaders we can help our people identify what level of threat they are experiencing. Having common language around the topic can be very helpful. Are you a level 1, 2 or 3 ?

We do not function well at level three. We are not able to process things logically or with emotional regulation or tap into our memory well.  Our creativity and insights go down.

3 simple questions can help identify ones current state. ( @Erickson International )

  1. How are you doing?

  2. What is your challenge? What is your biggest challenge?

  3. How are YOU doing in dealing with that challenge?

UNDER- REACT ————— ADAPTIVE ——————— OVER- REACT

- Reasonable Actions

- Be prepared

- Proper precautions

Ex: If a team member is at a level 3 threat - “feeling like the bear is after them” you can point them to adaptive techniques to decrease the threat level to a level 2.

How do you help a person decrease their threat level?

Here are some examples to get you started on some adaptive solutions to decrease threat levels.

  1. Practice physical distancing & good hygiene

  2. Make sure they have their critical supplies in place

  3. Stay informed but limit the intake of social media 1-2 times/day from the same reliable source

  4. Encourage building your immune system ( good sleep, eating, & exercising habits )

  5. Autonomy ( our sense of control over events ) : Help people see the choices they do have. If you can give people a choice, let them make decisions when to work, such as setting their own hours & where to work

  6. Certainty ( our ability to predict the future ) : Encourage leaders to communicate clearly, often & consistently. The more certainty one has the more the threat level goes down. Find implicit things that you can make more explicit.

  7. Relatedness ( how safe we feel with others ) : Encourage regular video meetings; Find creative ways for people to feel more connected; Help people see there are shared goals since shared goals decrease pain.

  8. Leaders can help people stay away from Level 3 if they encourage clarity and focus on the work outputs. Being clear on what to do helps a person stay focused.

  9. Remind people on “what they know for sure” vs the narrative that they might be saying to themselves.

Keep Safe Everyone!

For more information

Watch the Webinars!  Follow the links:

NeuroLeadership Institute Video               

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For more information – go to the NeuroLeadership Institute website

https://neuroleadership.com/