Leading Through Crisis: Part III

Reframing Your Mind

Traditional psychology has demonstrated through multiple research studies that people tend to

·        focus on negative events rather than positive ones

·        learn more from negative outcomes and experiences

·        have a stronger motivation to avoid pain than to seek pleasure

·        make decisions based on negative information rather than positive data

·        remember negative experiences over positive experiences

It is not easy to choose to take a positive stance; to change our focus

·        When we hear bad news, it takes 3-4 seconds for it to go into our long-term memory.

·        When we hear good news, it takes 12 seconds before it drops into our long-term memory. If we get distracted before the 12 seconds is up, it doesn’t go in at all.

This idea of reframing our minds does not take us toward an inability to be aware of reality; or leave us irrelevant in a crisis. Rather this this idea of reframing our minds and choosing the positive moves our mental stance to a place where we can advance our effectiveness in times of crisis and change.

Consider one question to reframe your mind: “What am I committed to during this crisis?”

Reframing your thinking by adding in the balance of realism with optimism is a key – in the moment – to avoid heading down the path of negativity. 

Offering grace has the potential to be a significant differentiator not only in your life but in the lives of those with whom you live and work.

Responding to the question of what you are committed to and then, adding in the willingness to be gracious to those around you moment by moment will help you discover the path to reframing your mind.

This month the Mastermind experience I am facilitating is called “leading through crisis: staying the course”. Are you leading a group that you would like to offer a mastermind growth experience to? If so, head to my website at www.healthyleadership.online/home schedule a complementary call. I’d love to learn more about how I can support you and your team during these challenging days.

Bechtle, M (2016).  Why Negative is Stronger than Positive. Blog. Retrieved on 4.26.2020 from http://www.mikebechtle.com/why-negative-is-stronger-than-positive/

Reid, K. (2018). 1980’s Ethiopia famine: Facts, FAQ’s and how to help. Retrieved on 4.26.2020 from

Micro resilience: Part II: Resetting your Primitive Alarms

1.       Primitive Alarms: a physical response needed for immediate survival.

2.      The prefrontal cortex is best known for things like planning, and problem-solving.

3.      The amygdala are responsible for the perception of emotion; they scan for possible threats

4.      The amygdala hijack is a term coined over 25 years ago by Daniel Goleman in his book on Emotional Intelligence.

In a crisis situation every leader needs to be aware of this potential of being hijacked by their amygdala. 

One exercise to use your emotions as a resource is called Labeling – Relabeling.

The reality is that in any crisis there is always a challenging balance when elements of surplus and insufficiency coexist with extraordinary variability. 

·        Too many people/too little food

·        too many with acute illnesses/ too few critical hospital supplies

·        too many emails/too little time to read and process

Labeling:

• The better you can label your emotion the more you distance yourself from the feelings and the emotions that are hijacking you. 
• In just a micro segment of time you can choose to separate yourself from the emotion that is vying for control. 

Relabeling:

• Relabeling becomes a thoughtful mind shift. 
• Relabeling your emotions moves you forward.  You are not changing how you feel but you are changing what the emotion means.
• With relabeling, you can gain control of your perspective. 

Don’t be misled…  The problems are still as intense. The reality is still raw. But, you have poised yourself to lead more effectively.  

 This month the Mastermind experience I am facilitating is called “leading through crisis: staying the course”. Are you leading a group that you would like to offer a mastermind growth experience to? If so, head to my website at www.healthyleadership.online/home schedule a complementary call. I’d love to learn more about how I can support you and your team during these challenging days.

Goleman D. (1995) Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. New York: Bantam Books

St John, B. (2017). Micro resilience. Minor Shifts for Major Boosts in Focus, Drive, and Energy. Hachette, UK. 

Microresilience: Lessons learned from Bonnie St John

Framework Number One: REFOCUS YOUR BRAIN.

Microresilience: 

·        looks at what you can do today, those little changes, that will, over time, impact the bigger plans that you are putting in place as you lead the charge for the overall resilience of your own leadership, your team and your work.

·        a powerful tool to use as you relate to your family and your friends during times of unprecedented change and stress. 

·        acknowledges, in a very practical way, that there are times that you have to recharge on the go

·        this is not about being a workaholic but it is about working very hard for a focused event or experience

·        serves you well during times of crisis when there does not seem to be a break or even an end in sight of the needs that need to be met

·        sets you up to be able to pivot even as you continue to work very hard. 

·        enables a leader to deliver a level of consistency and sustainability as fatigue sets in and you find yourself digging for your reserves.

Refocus your brain:

1.     keep from getting mentally overwhelmed

2.     manage your decision fatigue.

St John, B. (2017). Minor Shifts for Major Boosts in Focus, Drive, and Energy. Hachette, UK.

Mastermind opportunity: Leading Through Crisis: Staying the course. To connect and join a 4 week complementary call with other leaders, head to https://www.healthyleadership.online/leading-through-crisis

Courageous leaders: more than a roaring lion.

 There are many definitions of courage. One of my favorite definitions is that courage is shown by the way we behave when things get tough. 

 How we show up in tough times indicates a level of being authentic, being true to ourselves – so that when we are faced with the many challenges of our lives, how we behave is consistent.  This definition then it leads me to believe that everyone has the capacity to be courageous.

Three elements about courage:  

#1. COURAGE IS A LEADERS CHOICE

 “You can choose courage or you can choose comfort but you cannot choose both.” Brené Brown

 To begin to choose courage we must be honest within ourselves about the things we are fearful of. The lie we often believe is that we have to completely change who we are in order to be fearless leaders.   

Common fears that leaders dance with every day are:

·        Criticism

“Leadership—all leadership—is a magnet for pain, which comes in many forms. We catch flak for bad decisions because people blame us, and we get criticism even for good decisions because we’ve changed the beloved status quo.” Samuel Chand

·        Failure

“Failure is a necessary consequence in doing something new” Ed Catmull

·        Speaking

“The idea of making a presentation in public is the No. 1 fear reported by people in the U.S.   If speaking in public scares you, you aren't alone. It is even scarier than rattlesnakes,"   Paul L. Witt, PhD

#2. COURAGE IS A LEADER’S OPPORTUNITY

·        To be qualified …

·        to engage in meaningful relationships where trust is built so that courage becomes a partnership with great people and great teams

#3. COURAGE DEFINES A LEADER

 Lives defined by courageous leaders:

·        They are human beings, flawed and fearful just like you and me

·        There isn’t just one life- changing moment that defines them

·        They consistently represent who they are authentically, in both the good and the bad times.

Seek the opportunity to add the skills and relationships that will help you in your journey of courage.

Notes.

 Brené Brown, B....

Welcome to the Art of Leadership with Nina Ellison. ... the show that brings you deeper insights and podcast education through a leader’s discovery of the soft skills of leadership.

Join Nina on April 7 with her first episode called Courageous Leadership: more than a roaring lion!