An Emerging New Leader: You

In unpredictable times such as these, leadership takes front and center.

We’re not talking about leadership in a traditional sense per se but rather leading yourself -- no matter who, what, where, why or how you work.

The reality is our routine has been shot to hell.  We might feel a bit out of sorts and the priorities we had last week are vastly different from today’s.  For a lot of us, we’re not even sure what they may be -- it can change daily. Not to mention, through the roof anxiety from the uncertainty.  

At SCOUT, we believe the most important first step is to take care of you first.  Get rest, eat well and if it’s possible, sunshine.  Once we did this, we focused on the following:

1. Plan

This gave us a sense of control.  Intentional meetings with our partner, spouse, family, loved ones and colleagues to determine our new way of communicating, working, sharing responsibilities, managing conflict, asking for help, offering help and celebrating.

2. Do

By this we mean, get up and out (of bed) as if we were headed to the workplace or wherever it is you usually go to.  Exercise (use an app). Shower and dress. Nourish yourself with healthy food. Identify a space in your home that fosters a productive mindset (a luxury for many of us, we recognize, and a lot of us have our kids home from school or childcare facilities).

3. Re-Prioritize

It’s overwhelming.  A sudden change in plans can make the best of us feel like a deer caught in headlights.  Take a focused 20 minutes (no distractions) to put a real pen to paper and list three things that need your focus.  Make a separate one for work and life. At SCOUT, we’re encouraging our colleagues and network to put life first -- everything else will be that much easier to tackle if we know our friends and family are safe and healthy.

4. Stay Connected

Schedule and keep those virtual commitments.  Remember when you said, when I have time, I’m going to . . . ?  This is the time. More than ever, as we’re confined to our homes, it’s a wonderful service to each other to “meet”.  Not just for work but with friends and family, too. SCOUT’s founder, Rose Chan Siow, (your truly) joined a Luminary workshop today, moderated by Founder + CEO, Cate Luzio, where panelist Leslie Grossman said, “Relationships create resiliency.”  We couldn’t agree more.

5. Ask for Help*

You have your three priorities (see #3) and now you’re set to tackle them.  Which ones can use the help of a collaborator? Which ones aren’t where your strengths lie?  Who’s great at XYZ to tackle priority number one? Connect, reconnect, leverage your network -- we have found generosity from the most unusual places -- individuals are eager to help (and consider how you can support local and small businesses!) -- reach out!  You’ll be glad you did.

*Maybe you won’t use any help but, oftentimes, we find it doesn’t hurt to talk with someone.  That in itself can give us forward momentum. It’s powerful.

6. Offer Help

In times like these the greatest balm can be giving more than receiving.  Simple actions of sending a brief text to individuals in your community (professional and personal) to offer your expertise or to pick up groceries may just make you feel as good as the person who’s receiving your help.  (Interestingly enough, it eased the anxiety for some of us because it was something productive to contribute.)

Our advice in offering help?  Be specific about what you can provide.  Many are overwhelmed and are apt to receive if it’s a narrower offer.  For example, instead of How can I help?  Try, I’m a communication specialist -- can I help you craft something for your team?

Nothing’s perfect (except ice cream) and all of the above requires customization to each of our unique lives.  The key is no one knows how to best lead you except for you. Use this unpredictable time to your advantage to build resilience, a flexible routine and to stay connected (or reconnect!).  

We hope these suggestions will help you build a sense of routine, normalcy and forward momentum.  Focus on the upswing -- it will come -- and work toward it!

Stay healthy!