Weathering the Storms
At the beginning of November Storm Ciaran inflicted a lot of damage including flooding in the South East of England and many trees being uprooted. In some cases, it took a lot of time to clear the debris and get back to normal. Metaphorically speaking, storms can do a lot of damage to us mentally and emotionally when we have leadership responsibility. I (Andy) have a friend facing the biggest storm of their life as a leader, as people they trusted for years have, for some reason, become vindictive. The trees that survive a storm do so because they are well rooted and that is true of leaders too. The challenges and struggles in leadership can be immense, and we need deep roots to come through those times.
Here are 3 key things I have learnt about building the kind of root system that will help us through the storms:
1. Build a strong network of people who will be both honest and supportive. Just like the mycelium network that transfers water and minerals from tree to tree beneath the surface to ensure that trees survive, we need a network of people who will challenge us where we have blind spots and encourage us when we need to persevere. Never get isolated.
2. Create habits and routines that will ensure you are regularly gaining perspective on your life’s challenges. Sometimes these are built into our lives naturally but when we are busy, those opportunities are often overlooked. Perspective comes with reflection and reflection only happens when we stop our activity, pause, and seek to see our present situation in a much broader context.
3. Return to your values and seek to remember how they inform your thinking and behaviour. Knowing and articulating our values keeps us rooted in the core of what we believe to be true and important. Sometimes we need to compromise in situations of challenge, but we should never compromise on values even in the biggest storms. We must stay true to ourselves and what we believe.
Reflection:
What's my natural reaction when things get difficult?
Is there anything about that reaction that I could change so I can better deal with challenges that come my way?
Who can I turn to for support?
What can I do to create regular times of reflection so I can gain greater perspective?
What values am I committed to live by, regardless of the circumstances I find myself in?