Resources for Leaders During Uncertain Times
Former U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt said, "A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor." After the last few weeks, I suspect we're all starting to feel like Ferdinand Magellan, the Portugese explorer who sailed all the way around the globe in 1519. Perhaps some days you feel more like the famous castaway Robinson Crusoe.
Whether you're feeling like an accomplished mariner or still finding your sea legs, rest easy knowing that you are facing down the same challenges as millions of other leaders around the world. That's really overwhelming, isn't it? Millions of leaders, all trying to solve the same set of problems. I have good news for you: millions of leaders are all trying to solve the same set of problems.
The global scale of our circumstances means that there are global truths in our circumstances. We're all stressed. We're all uncertain. We're all adjusting to new routines. Once again, the good news: when we all face similar problems, we can all learn from one another.
For our part, Alloy Solutions has been doing everything we can to serve leaders who are in the eye of this storm. It's our privilege to help leaders in times like this, when their team members need them most. Here's a rundown of how we've partnered with our clients, some of our key learnings, and how you can get plugged in if you're interested.
Coaching and Training
Despite unpredictable schedules, our team members have not stopped coaching and training. Sure, we don't meet in person, and we had to learn a lot about Zoom Meetings, but we're still making contact with the teams and leaders who need us. Early on, we realized that our biggest value was just showing up - presenting a willing ear for folks to tell us about what they're dealing with. As the weeks have marched on, we're talking more and more about managing conflict between stressed-out team members. When the stakes are high, communication skills are extra important. This is not the time to let issues fester. Sort things out as quickly and constructively as you can, because your team members don't need the extra mental burden of lingering conflicts at work.
Bringing Teams Together
After two or three weeks of working remotely, a new theme came up in our conversations: team-building. "How can I maintain the connection between my team members?" Zoom calls and virtual happy hours were getting old. Fortunately, we were able to adapt many of our best team-building activities into a virtual format (including the ever-popular Leadership Game). The results have been incredible - team members have loved connecting with one another to talk about themselves, their organizations, and their work in meaningful ways. It's been a real blessing to watch coworkers reconnect and appreciate each other after several weeks apart.
Network with Leaders
Last but certainly not least, we've seen a real desire from leaders to talk to other leaders about how they're dealing with the ongoing situation. We were inspired to host Virtual Leader Forums to create an online discussion group for this purpose. It's been a huge hit - we've gathered strangers from five different states and three time zones to share insights and celebrate successes over the last several weeks. Some of our conversations have followed leadership lessons from John Maxwell, and others have been more free-flowing. In either case, we're proud to say it has been a real benefit to the leaders in our community and we plan to keep it going for the future. If this sounds like your cup of tea, you can join us for a test drive on Tuesday, May 5th (Learn More).
Ongoing Resource
In addition to everything else, it's been our pleasure to serve as an on-call resource for the companies we partner with. We've fielded several calls over the last month and a half where someone just wanted to kick an idea around. "Hey, what do you think about..." Honestly, they're some of my favorite conversations (even more than our carefully-planned agendas), and the person on the other end of that phone knows they're getting great help from a consultant they trust.
If you saw anything in this post that rang a bell for you, please don't hesitate to contact us. Drop us a line at [email protected] or give us a call at 402-980-5846.
Good luck to each of you, and stay strong this week!
