4 Daily Practices Leaders Can Rely on When They're Feeling Overwhelmed

Since the start of the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis, the world has changed dramatically. As organizations strive to meet the demands of an unprecedented global event, teams are experiencing fear, anxiety, and discomfort as they navigate a transformed workforce. The stakes have never been higher for organizations—and the expectation is on leaders to rise above chaos to bring teams together.

How can leaders rise to the challenge? By tapping into their emotional intelligence.

Last week, Jennifer McCollum, CEO of Linkage, appeared on VoiceAmerica, hosted by Dr. Cathy Greenberg and Dr. Relly Nadler. Dr. Greenberg is an expert in emotional resilience, and her newest book Emotional Brilliance: Living a Stress Less, Fear Less Life is available now for just $.99.

During the interview, Greenberg and McCollum reviewed four daily practices that can help leaders move beyond chaos to become more effective leaders.

You can watch the entire interview here or check out some of the takeaways below:

1. Push Pause and Listen to Your Inner Voice | To thrive, we need to center and become compassionate to ourselves and others. If you can’t focus and you find your mind racing, you will be ineffective for yourself—and unable to support others.

Purposefully stop several times a day and breathe deeply, especially during transitions between meetings, shifting from work to interactions with your partner or kids, and even moving from room to room. And, pay attention to the messages you are ingesting: Is the news, social media, or specific people giving you greater anxiety? While we have an obligation to seek out new educational materials and stay informed, we also can experience burnout and fatigue when we experience too much information, too fast. Seek out reflection time to understand what you have read and decide which information you need to act on.

2. Get Clear | As we live and lead in a world changed by COVID-19, we need to seek clarity on who we are and what we are focused on.

Answer these questions for yourself:

During a time of change and transition, it is worth investing time in gaining clarity this day, this week, this year and ultimately, this life.

3. Stop Trying to Do Too Much | When COVID-19 first arrived on our radar, it was easy to believe the crisis would end in a few weeks. That soon changed to a few months. Now, we are understanding the long-term economic and societal impact of this health crisis. We need to find a “new normal.” Determine a personal schedule that is flexible, and give yourself permission to say no. As we have transitioned to working from home, personal life and work life has collided—we need to bring new understanding to ourselves, and our teams and make flexibility a main priority.

4. Focus on Relationships | At home and at work, we have a new opportunity to focus on our relationships by offering support—and relying on others. Get to know your teams and understand the unique value they bring. When we do this, we better understand them and we can better support them in their goals. We may not be in a physical workspace, but in many ways, we are closer than ever—we have just replaced in-person meetings with Zoom calls.

Looking for more on Emotional Intelligence? Dr. Cathy Greenberg’s newest book Emotional Brilliance: Living a Stress Less, Fear Less Life is available now for just $.99.