HOW DO YOU REGAIN PERSPECTIVE?

Date: February 7, 2022

LeaderImpact Global recently interviewed Dr. Henry Cloud at the LeaderImpact Global Summit. As we talked about wellbeing, here are a few things worth noting.

How are you doing? People all over the world have been experiencing difficult times, especially leaders and their teams. So, how do you gain perspective? Henry Cloud gives us 5 steps on how to gain perspective during difficult times. 

1. Connection - To create or build something, you need a foundation. Relationship connectedness is the foundation of human performance, therefore it is crucial to ensure that your team is founded on being connected with one another. Make sure you are re-establishing deep moments of connectedness for your team, where they feel encouraged and supported. You want to be sure that everyone has a buddy to know they are not alone. 

2. Structure - You want to ensure that there is structure enough and routines and rhythms put in place. These rhythms are filled with particular meetings and gatherings and certain kinds of agendas. A structure holds everything together and will give your team some certainty amongst uncertainty. Ask yourself what routines and structures and rhythms did COVID do away with that I need to either get back or renew in a different way?”

3. Control - Leadership is there to help define what activities your team has control over and how it will make a difference. Control what you can and identify the things that are out of your control. This allows you to make a difference on the things that you can change. Make sure each person on your team knows what they are doing and the particular activities that are defined in their roles. This allows them to have the perspective of “Yes, I can do this and I have 100% control over it”. 

4. Take out the bad stuff - Create a safe space. A safe space is important for people to talk and identify the areas that they might have failed or made a mistake. Creating a safe space allows the bad things to be discussed openly and brought to light. Talking about failures and mistakes as a team allows your team to support, problem-solve, and grow. This space will encourage team members to avoid covering up mistakes but gives you the opportunity to remove those mistakes earlier on. This allows your team to know they can process their trash, get it out of their system and bring their concerns to you.

5. Celebrate - Create a space that celebrates! Allow your people to use their talents and celebrate the things that they know they do well in. Allow them to feel good about the things they do. Often organizations are focused on problems and how to solve them that the idea of celebrating each other is forgotten. 

Is there anything else you would add to this?  How are you regaining perspective during this long period of uncertainty?