During challenging moments at work, you need to ask yourself if you are a good times leader. This is someone who performs well during successful periods. They don’t shake things up and employees like working for them. The business grows at a predictable rate.
But if unexpected challenges show up, they may not know what to do. Recently, we’ve seen some CEO shakeups at major retail businesses. It’s not unexpected because many successful companies found themselves dealing with new issues related to to the pandemic.
While every leader has strengths and weaknesses, the good times leader must break out of familiar patterns, in order to successfully address the new challenges. That’s not always comfortable and some may become paralyzed with uncertainty, leading to more problems. Consider these tips to help you meet the moment:
Do You Need New Skills?
Some actors rely on natural charisma and instincts to guide them through a performance. Others take acting classes to make sure they can play roles outside their comfort zone. Which performer do you think will have the longer career?
The leader who isn’t periodically refreshing their skills, may find themselves unsure how to respond to new situations. Long term success may not happen, if you think all you know is all you’ll ever need to know.
You Ask for Help
It’s easy to work inside a leadership bubble, where you know everything about your business. You’re used to being the person others come to with questions.
But when you find your business in an unfamiliar situation, are you willing to ask for help? It takes courage to admit you don’t know something.
This is when a business network can help. You have peers who are a phone call or email away from providing advice and guidance.
You don’t want to be in a situation where an unfamiliar problem is allowed to grow, like a weed, simply because it’s easier to ignore it, than admit you don’t know how to address it.
You Make Changes
When a businesses faces a big challenge, something needs to change. While there’s no guarantee of success, doing nothing will not improve the situation.
An unpopular move is often the right one, even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment.
You Understand Comebacks
A good times leader may make changes but doesn’t share a vision for the future or explain why a shakeup was needed. This may be due to feelings of failure, when there are challenges like layoffs or closures.
While these things should be mourned, leaders need to rally their team toward a better future. Most will understand the concept of a comeback and your employee communication needs to reflect it. A comeback acknowledges failure but puts the focus on changes that should lead to a better tomorrow.
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