LEADERSHIP as the ABCs. These three powerful concepts will help to refocus our leadership mindset, actions, and contribution. The Leadership ABCs AWARENESS Being aware of how the events and situations affect you and the people around you is an extremely important foundation for leadership. It’s essential to be aware of how you are doing in order to lead and support others. Being aware of how your team is feeling and reacting to events and situations is essential to helping them survive and grow through challenges. It’s important to be aware of our feelings and emotions. Psychologist Susan David explains, “emotions are data, not directives”. Just because we are feeling anxious doesn’t mean we have to become anxious for prolonged periods. Paying attention to our feelings gives us data on how we are biologically and psychologically reacting to situations. When we are aware, we choose how we move forward. Be aware of what you can control and can’t control. This is important for managing anxiety and stress. In so many cases all that we control is how we choose to respond to any given situation. Be aware and acknowledge the people and things you should be truly grateful for. Being able to sincerely experience gratitude helps to buffer us from negative effects of change and challenge. Do you express gratitude regularly for your health, your family, your job, your home, and the likely many things you are blessed with? If you find this notion cheesy, I implore you to give it a sincere try. It’s positively game-changing to your outlook and experience. BEHAVIOR Are you behaving in a way that supports those around you, and your shared mission? How are you helping others grow through these challenges and change? Now more than ever we need to be kind to each other. Leadership by nature is supportive. True leaders are understanding to what others are going through and supportive with what they’re trying to accomplish. True leadership is compassionate to other people’s struggles. Leaders show love. Do your best to anticipate upcoming changes and shifts, or at least be prepared for the effects of known changes. Accept that which you did not anticipate and adapt as you need to make the most out of the situation. Remember Napoleon Hill’s inspiring statement that “every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it a seed of an equivalent or greater benefit”. It is up to you to be ready to find, plant, and water that seed of opportunity. COMMUNITY Feeling overwhelmed in a time of great change and crisis is normal. We can feel lonely and terrified, and sometimes this can be debilitating. The remedy is community. Community built around a common struggle or shared mission creates sincere togetherness. Connection with others destroys fear and anxiety. Use your leadership awareness and behavior to build or contribute to a community. We need sincere connection focused on a common mission, sustained by respectful and compassionate communication and collaboration. In times of crisis, real leadership amplifies the importance of community and fosters the spirit of meaningful connection and togetherness. Look for ways to provide those around you with the community they need and the connection they desire. Put the ABCs into Practice Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl exemplified that the last of human freedoms is to choose our own attitude in any given set of circumstances. Although we may not love what’s happening in the world today, it is our choice how to think, feel, and respond to the uncontrollables that surround us. As life gets overwhelming and complex, leaders simplify. As life becomes uncertain, leaders gain awareness. As rapid change negatively impacts people’s feelings and attitudes, leaders intentionally support others through understanding, care, and compassion. As life feels disconnected and lonely, leaders grow community and connection. And as life becomes more digital, let’s remember the importance of being human. Awareness, Behavior, and Community are three ways to provide comfort, direction, hope, and growth to those you are officially and unofficially responsible for. The better we use our leadership ABCs, the greater the chance in making this the best of times, or at least prevent it from feeling like the worst of times. 38 maintworld 3/<strong>2021</strong>
The Uptimization Experts. TAKE PRODUCTION TO NEW HEIGHTS MISSION CRITICAL MAINTENANCE & RELIABILITY SOLUTIONS All departments must work together to achieve the shared mission of the plant. Proactive maintenance and reliability is an essential and strategic contributor to plant performance. Let us be your mission control to elevate reliability and take production to new heights. Launch your mission today at www.marshallinstitute.com
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