At the time of writing, it feels like the world is in a precarious place. President Donald Trump has threatened that “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if Iran doesn’t reopen the Straight of Hormuz by 8pm EST. Iranian official Alireza Rahimi called on “all young people, athletes, artists, students and university students and their professors” to form human chains around power plants as an act of defiance and a civilian shield. Members of congress appear to be scrambling behind the scenes to decide on their next steps, with some open calls for removal of the President by the 25th amendment or impeachment.
By the time you read this, everything I just typed might be out of date, and who can predict what the current state of affairs will be? Certainly not me. But like the majority of us, I have work to get on with and teams to work with. How do any of us navigate our daily work life when it feels like the whole world could change at any moment?
I’ve posted before – a few times in different ways – about leading people in times of distraction, both on an ongoing basis (the “endless present” and the war for our attention are real things!) and during times of shared cultural distraction, whether scheduled (such as the Olympics or an election) or unexpected (such as the January 6 riots at the Capitol, or the murder of George Floyd). Today, and much of the news of the last 14+ months, fits firmly into the category of an unexpected time of shared cultural distraction – even if there’s planning behind the scenes, and deadlines given publicly, people outside the halls of government are experiencing disruption in ways they did not ask for or expect.
So with the world feeling like a tinderbox that could go up in flames at any point, what can we do on our personal and work level to lead and support others (and ourselves) in a healthy and productive way?
This Week’s Tips:
- When the world feels like a tinderbox, maybe don’t throw flames. You may not be able to have a direct impact on a global level (though if you are able to, this also applies to you), but you can have an impact on the people around you, who may feel on edge and vulnerable. Show kindness. Work on de-escalating work conflicts, asking open-ended questions, and listening to others’ perspectives to gain understanding.
- Give people space when it seems like they need it, even if they don’t ask. Some organizations allow their employees to leave a “vacation auto-reply” in times where their focus needs to be elsewhere, without necessarily asking for an explanation. Doing so demonstrates trust in your team and grants autonomy and agency.
- Accept that you don’t know what anyone else is experiencing. You might find that people respond harshly to things and you don’t know why. If you get cut off in traffic, or you experience a moment of rudeness from someone else, consider that you don’t know their story or what they’re going through at the moment – whether it’s connected to the wider world or not! – and give them grace whenever you can.
- Show yourself some grace and kindness too! You don’t know what anyone else is experiencing, but sometimes it can even be confusing to sort through what you are experiencing. Forgive your slip-ups and mistakes, treat yourself well, and take breaks from the news – unplug from your phone, take walks in nature, build breathing breaks into your day… the news will be there when you get back, with more details and clarity than before. Treating yourself with kindness will help you to treat others with kindness also. Think of your mental health as an air mask on a plane; prioritize taking care of yourself, and that will help you take care of others more effectively.
Try these out this week, and let us know how it goes – we’d love to hear from you.
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Building Bridges Leadership 