If you are feeling this way, trust me—you are not alone. No one has the magic answer; everyone is still struggling with how to manage through what feels like an unending period of change, complexity, and uncertainty.

There is no doubt that this is our “new normal.” Yes, 2020 is in the rearview mirror, but it does feel like 2021 is offering up more of the same, doesn’t it?  And noted futurists are predicting that we will see more change in the next two years than we have seen in the last ten—so fasten your seat belt and get ready!

In this challenging environment, we are all operating under a heavy cognitive load: dealing in new ways with work, family, health and safety; how we shop, exercise, and more.

When our brains are under this type of strain, we struggle to deal with big issues, problems or assignments. We can only take on so much because we no longer have the personal resources or mental capacity to deal with “just one more thing.”

How to keep your team motivated

So how DO you take the next step, keep moving yourself and your team forward, and use the agency that we often forget we have?

Here is an approach that I believe can be very helpful during these times.

We all face unexpected situations, problems or issues—both at home and at work. These may not be major obstacles or career-defining issues, but just something someone has brought to your attention to address.

Instead of looking at any of these as, “this is a big deal and I need to fix it now” perspective, or immediately starting to create a comprehensive action plan with a long list of to-dos, think: what is essential vs. what is exhaustive?

What is one small step, one simple action you, your team or family member can take that will give direction, make progress, or provide some satisfaction in moving forward? The goal here is to act, not wait for the perfect solution: to do something rather than nothing.

Don’t worry if you don’t know exactly what the road ahead looks like because no one does. And that’s more than okay for now.

Remember: In these challenging times, when you’re not sure what to do next, think essential, not exhaustive.  

Video Transcript: Be a Role Model for Your Team

Hi everyone, Bobbie LaPorte here again with this week’s “Let’s Get Growing” tip…where I help you take charge of your plans and accelerate your initiatives as you head into the end of this year.

This week I wanted to talk about your responsibility as a leader to be a role model. I know that seems like an overused term….but it is so important to keep in mind during these times of change and unrelenting uncertainty.

I appreciate that everyone is tired and worn out after nearly 9 months of working thru the pandemic, but your team needs strong, steady and human leadership now more than ever.

So, what is a role model? One definition is: “A person who is looked up to by others as an example to be imitated.” We’ve probably all had at least one role model in our lives; role models have the ability to inspire others; they act in ways that support their beliefs and values. Unfortunately, we have seen just the opposite of this behavior in recent weeks from some of our political leaders who practice a “Do as I say, not as I do” type of philosophy.

So why am I talking about this now? Because I know how fatigued many of you are from the pressure to be “on” for your team. And this was reflected in a recent survey – done by a national research organization – of several thousand employees on how they view their leaders at this time in the pandemic. Only 34% of those responding said that their leaders role model the behavior they are asking their teams to demonstrate. Only 34%. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised, but you want to be in the group where people see that their leader is doing their best to walk the talk. After all….we are all human.

 So, here’s my tip:

Take two minutes in the morning before you start your day and reflect on the opportunities you have coming up when you can demonstrate the behaviors you are asking of others – it could be increased collaboration; being open to new ways of doing work; asking for help; showing empathy and concern. Whatever it is…PLAN for it during your day. Remember, we are all under high cognitive load and your brain is only able to pay attention in small bursts; so make it as easy as possible to remind yourself. Then bookend this intention at the end of the day by once again reflecting for two minutes on what you could have done differently that day..and then file it away for the next day. I believe with this awareness you will see a difference in how you show up for your team.

That’s it – that’s my “Get Growing” tip for this week.  I’ll see you next Monday… remember to see this time as an enabler, not a liability or a time to “pause”, waiting for certainty to return.

Take care of yourself.

As leaders, we are in a position to have an impact on our teams and create a more accepting, tolerant, and respectful work environment.

In this Episode:

04:31 – Keeping employees engaged and productive during a pandemic

05:39 – Help your team navigate through the next few months

05:56 – Three science-based actions you can take right now to support your team

Podcast Transcript

Hi everyone, Bobbie LaPorte here, your host of The Executive Aid Station Podcast series called “Leadership Curveballs, Blind Spots, and Black Holes.”

In this episode, we’ll feature an expanded version of one of our weekly coronavirus curveball tips on how to build a bridge over divisions in a post-election world.

The week after the election, I produced a special edition of my weekly video blog. I had been reflecting on the election and how it created more division and polarization in our country about what is right versus wrong. And I’m not just talking about political parties here. In the weeks since the election, we’ve only seen this divide magnified.

As many groups continue to criticize, demean and hold contempt for others. And this, despite the facts that our shared heritage as Americans of what we have in common and our natural human need to be whole and unified, is needed now more than ever. 

Look, there’s always been them versus us in our society. Remember growing up in school where there were the cool kids versus the nerdy kids, the ones that went to one school versus the kids that went to the other school?

We find validation, support, and community within groups of like-minded people. And that’s generally helpful and beneficial, but this time, and what we’re talking about today is very different.

We are definitely in a time when we’re more likely to classify people into the in or out-groups. We have more of an emotional and physiological reaction to people if they are in or out, based on our own perspective. And this extreme divide impacts our ability to show empathy, to see what we have in common versus our differences.

And it really pains me to see how people are attacking each other, both verbally and physically, people from the other side on the news. But unfortunately, it doesn’t seem likely that we’ll see progress in the short term on this front. It’s important to acknowledge and accept that we have a limited amount of control in this situation.

But as leaders, we are in a unique position to have an impact with our teams to create a more accepting, tolerant, and respectful work environment. If you are familiar with my work, you know, I draw on science-based practices to help leaders navigate challenging times. So I wanted to offer some tips to help you build a bridge over these divides and restore trust and tolerance in your organization.

First, a couple of points to consider since the pandemic began, we have all been living in a heightened state of anxiety and personal threat. Our people are dealing with cognitive overload. They’re taxed emotionally. They have no personal resources left to deal with another emotional factor, like the election results.

Just consider all the issues people have been dealing with, including working remotely, educating people at home, caring for family members, managing family dynamics. Establishing new routines for shopping, exercise, and living in close quarters. These are just some of the many challenges that have become part of our daily lives.

And it feels like just when we think we’re settling in getting somewhat used to this new set of circumstances, a new challenge puts us back on the defense. I’ve talked before about how our brains are wired to be anchored to the negative, to possible threats and dangers that we see. And with all these issues and negativity, we have no room to handle something else.

And then talking about keeping our teams engaged and productive, well, that’s even a bigger challenge than normal in this environment. It’s interesting to look at the potential impact on your team. The Gartner Group recently conducted a survey related to this about engaging and keeping employees productive during the pandemic and found the following.

36% of people have been avoiding their coworkers because of politics. And in times when bringing people together in cross-functional roles to solve complex problems is more important than ever. This is a major concern, and 47% of people surveyed say the election has impacted their ability to get work done.

It’s definitely a major distraction. So think about that. Have you experienced this yourself? Have you seen signs of this in your team? Well, I know that many of us have.

One of my clients, a very outgoing high energy approachable leader, recently shared how he is just plain exhausted after all of this. And can’t wait for the weekend to withdraw.

I’m guessing many of you can identify with this response. So, what does this mean to you? What can you as a leader do about this? Where do you start? Well, I would suggest that your role as a leader is to be the binding energy that helps people navigate through the next few weeks and months. To be the emotional stability for your team through continuing uncertainty and challenge.

So here’s my guidance for you:

These are three science-based actions you can take to support your team during this time.

First: Label the emotion. You can’t make people’s anxiety, fear, anger go away. But just by asking them to share what they’re feeling, what we call, name it to tame it, you are activating the brain’s braking system and allowing them to use the limited cognitive resources they have on other things.

Then you can consider a few ways to work with your team to deal with what they are facing, but this is the first critical step to label the emotion.

Second: We state very clearly the values of your organization. This very important action gives people purpose and meaning that they need in this time. And don’t assume that people already know their world has changed, and they need to know from you that the direction of your organization has not.

Third: Focus on the shared goals of your team. Be specific, help them see how they can build on their prior successes to achieve more together. Our neural pathways are developed over time through shared experience. As we build relationships with others, this can be challenging during the pandemic and sheltering in place and working in a virtual environment, but there are ways to build empathy and teamwork in this time.

Sharing these goals create certainty in an environment of unrelenting uncertainty and activates the part of the brain responsible for inspiration, creativity, and problem-solving. These superordinate goals of your team can be a powerful unifying mechanism.

That’s it for this special edition of The Executive Aide Station Podcast series Leadership, Curveballs, Blind Spots, and Black Holes. I hope you’ll check out future episodes of the series, designed to help you navigate through uncertainty.

Video Transcript: Cultivating a Culture of Gratitude

Hi everyone, Bobbie LaPorte here again with this week’s “Let’s Get Growing” tip…where I help you take charge of your plans and accelerate your initiatives as you head into the end of this year.

Have you heard the saying: what you focus on, expands?

In these challenging times we are living and leading in – what are you focused on? Are you mainly focused on problem-solving?

Many of us are, but focusing mainly on problems also expands the number of problems you’re dealing with.  If your attention is constantly geared towards searching for unresolved issues, your mind will become more sensitive and start noticing them everywhere!

The same rule applies to positive behaviors, such as gratitude: if you focus on them, they will multiply as well.

So why Is Gratitude Important in Business?

The practice of expressing gratitude is far more often associated with personal relationships like friendships, partnerships, or family. You rarely hear the words “gratitude” and “business” in the same sentence, which is sad, because gratitude can sometimes play a crucial role in creating a healthy company culture and a productive working environment.

Yet, its role in business is often neglected. Recent research conducted by the John Templeton Foundation revealed that for Americans, the workplace is the least likely place to express gratitude.

Although as many as 93% of the respondents agreed that a grateful boss is more likely to succeed, and almost all of them agreed that a simple “thank you” at work made them feel valued and respected, only 10% were actually prone to express gratefulness!

Additional research shows the following:

• A culture of gratitude plays a crucial role in the workplace: it predicts higher job satisfaction; practicing gratitude at work makes the employees feel more grateful about their job in general.
• Employees who practice gratitude at work have a stronger sense of community.
• Grateful employees tend to focus more on the things they appreciate at work, rather than those that annoy them.

Expressing gratitude doesn’t only affect the internal relationships between colleagues and management. They can also improve the relationship between the business and its customers or strengthen the trust between partners or investors.

So, here’s my tip:

During this Thanksgiving holiday period, take a few minutes to reflect on how you can practice more gratitude at work  – starting with letting those you work with know that you value and appreciate them. It’s a keystone step for you – as a leader – to cultivate a culture of gratitude in your workplace.

That’s my “Get Growing” tip for this week.  I’ll see you next Monday… remember to see this time as an enabler, not a liability or a time to “pause”, waiting for certainty to return.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Video Transcript: Special Edition – Election 2020

Hi everyone, Bobbie LaPorte here again with this week’s “Let’s Get Growing” tip…where I help you take charge of your plans and accelerate your initiatives as you head into the end of this year.

This week I produced a special edition of this weekly vlog. I’ve been reflecting on the election and how it has created more division and polarization in our country about what is right vs. wrong, and I’m not just talking about political parties here. We are definitely in a time when we are more likely to classify people into in groups or out groups. We have more of an emotional and physiological reaction to people if they are “in “ or “out”,  more contempt based on our perspective. This extreme divide impacts our ability to show empathy, to see what we have in common vs. our differences.

So, what does this mean to you? What can you, as a leader, do about this?

If you are familiar with my work you know I rely heavily on science-based practices to help leaders navigate challenging times, so I wanted to offer some tips to help you build a bridge over these divides and restore trust and tolerance in your organization.

First – a couple of points to consider. Since the pandemic began, we have all been in a heightened state of anxiety and personal threat. Our people are dealing with cognitive overload; they are taxed emotionally and have no personal resources left to deal with another emotional factor like the election.

What’s the potential impact on your team? Gartner Group recently conducted a survey related to this and found:

• 36% of people are avoiding their co-workers because of politics
• -47% say the election is impacting their ability to get work done

So, what can you do? Your role as a leader is to be THE BINDING ENERGY that helps people navigate through the next few weeks.

So, here’s my guidance for you:

There are three science-based actions you can take to support your team:

1. Label the emotion: you can’t make people’s anxiety, fear, anger go away, but just be asking them to share how they are feeling – name it to tame it – you are activating the brain’s braking system and allowing them to use the limited cognitive resources they have on other things
2. Restate – clearly – the value of your organization. This very important action gives people purpose and meaning they need in this time
3. Focus on the shared goals of your team. You’ve heard me say this before. Be specific, help them see how they can build on their prior success and together achieve more.  Doing this creates certainty in an environment of unrelenting uncertainty and activates the part of the brain responsible for inspiration, creativity and problem-solving.

That’s my special “Get Growing” tip for this week. I know these are very difficult times; I hope this guidance was helpful. I’d love to hear from you on how these suggestions work with your team.

I’ll see you next Monday… remember to see this time as an enabler, not a liability or a time to “pause”, waiting for certainty to return.

Take care of yourself!

In a certain world, we were trained to approach challenges in a methodical, disciplined way: lay out the pros and cons, gather data, create different scenarios, and consider all of our options. Then came a prolonged decision-making process that involved gathering input from all the appropriate stakeholders for input, evaluating more data, conducting a detailed risk analysis to narrow down the best options, and then and only then (hopefully!) making a decision.

However, when we are faced with an unexpected situation in today’s uncertain world, we can’t afford all of this time. Under pressure, we tend to default to our natural reaction to pause, which makes us feel “stuck” and unsure.

Here is an example of how one of my clients dealt with an unexpected situation.

As part of her company’s annual planning process, this executive would normally use the prolonged, detailed, data-driven approach we have all come to know as part of strategic planning, a process that most executive teams do not enjoy or look forward to. As part of their executive offsite where planning was featured, they would normally have completed some level of detailed analysis prior to the offsite.

But then the “unexpected” happened. A major company reorganization was announced just before their planning meeting. The easy option would be to stop, hit the virtual “pause” button, and wait for clarity on the potential impact of this change before proceeding with their planning exercise. But instead, she opted to see this unexpected change from a place of “what can be”, not a place of resignation or uncertainty.

Adopting a more positive mindset, the executive team members modified their process to include possible new scenarios, acknowledging that there might be more risk involved than they would normally tolerate. Most importantly, they used this as an opportunity to revisit their assumptions and open up the possibility of how a new organization could actually eliminate prior blockers and accelerate their progress.

We have all been taught to minimize risk and avoid the potential consequences of making mistakes. But in this environment, risk-taking is more acceptable now. And mistakes are part of this process of innovation and trying different approaches to expand what is possible.