The true test of leadership is how well you function in a crisis : Brian Tracy.
When a leader’s influence survives time and space, he is a great leader. Leadership isn’t a role , it is a series of behaviours. Your leadership philosophy should be clear , concise and easy to communicate.
The most inspiring characteristics related to how you connect with others include humility or your ability to keep your ego in check , and your vitality or energy. A great leader is accountable and responsible , owning up to their mistakes and expecting others to do the same. Accountability requires humility , another valuable trait. It builds trust , a key component in any relationship , and inspires confidence, transparency and responsibility within teams, all essential elements in propelling a company forward on the road to success. Integrity is the fundamental building block of leadership.
Without integrity , you simply cannot lead. Do the right thing always. Power doesn’t actually give you the ability to influence. It’s your ability to influence that truly gives you the power to get things done. Responsibility for the success or failure of a business rests squarely on its leader’s shoulders. An individual at the helm of a company needs to know that their employees will follow. To inspire people to follow requires a unique set of attributes. while leadership skills can be learned , innate character traits make some individuals natural leaders.
LEADERSHIP IN CRISIS
Always be ready. Crises aren’t planned. The best leaders take personal ownership in a crisis, even though many challenges and factors lie outside their control. They align team focus, establish new metrics to monitor performance, and create a culture of accountability. Strong leaders get ahead of changing circumstances. They seek input and information from diverse sources, are not afraid to admit what they don’t know, and bring in outside expertise when needed.
“Crisis does not create character it reveals it.” ― Golden Flower
For every person, being a leader takes a different form. And that’s okay, because each group requires a leader that works with that group’s overarching dynamics.
People need motivation to tackle a challenge. When the challenge is something that doesn’t directly incentivize that person, it’s up to the leader to give them a little push. Whether it’s a reward that they can look forward to after a job well-done, or an opportunity to pursue their own unique ambitions, an incentive uniquely catered to the person is a great way to give them the nudge they need. Not only that, but by reminding people in your group about how they’re benefitting your entire community — that is, what they contribute via their unique abilities and talents — it reminds them that they belong and that they too are a leader. Plus, most people appreciate compliments!
5 Leadership Skills to Best Manage a Crisis
• Communication. This is perhaps the most important skill needed when dealing with crisis management.
• Adaptability. We all love when things go exactly as planned but what happens when the unthinkable happens and our perfect plan turns into a disaster?
• Self -Control.
• Relationship Management.
• Creativity.
Ability to See Opportunities in Everything
During crisis, leaders must see opportunities everywhere, every day and make the most of them. They must be open-minded enough to search within conversations and adverse circumstances for possibilities that will help better serve those they lead – beyond the obvious. For example, crisis demands respecting different points of view to broaden your observations and perspectives about the reality that is right in front of you – so you can see the glass half full, not half empty.
Training your team for crisis leadership.
As a leader of leaders, you are navigating new and ever-changing priorities with limited time to react. Some small investments in support and coaching can go a long way toward boosting your leaders’ effectiveness.
Moments of crisis reveal a great deal about the leaders below you. Once the immediate fire is under control and you have a moment to catch your breath, think about who rose to the occasion, who struggled, and why. Consider how roles will change in the postcrisis world and whether your key executives are positioned for success.
Last and most important, ask yourself whom you want at the table both in the current crisis and in the longed-for tomorrow when we emerge to a new normal.
Attitude of a leader during crisis
A leader doesn’t need to be an entrepreneur to be entrepreneurial. But during crisis, leaders must have an entrepreneurial attitude. They must think big and be bold enough to make a difference and have an impact when the moment calls. The entrepreneurial spirit is about connecting the dots that don’t yet exist. For example, oftentimes when a crisis starts, we think we know how to best utilize resources. But when we are in the middle of the crisis, we realize that we have many more resources than we thought, and we instinctively begin to utilize them in ways that were not previously imagined.
Our entrepreneurial spirit kicks-in as our capacity and capabilities as leaders and teams – take us to places we’ve never been before. We learn how to activate a whole new level of “strategic focus.”
The entrepreneurial spirit is about creating momentum for people by ensuring that alignment with people’s unique needs are strong and that you are always introducing new ways of doing things .
Surround yourself with people of diverse perspectives who can offer a different point of view and really listen to what your advisors and the subject matter experts have to say. Stay nimble and agile to address situations as they come up.
One thing is for certain, you may not know all the facts, and you may not have a plan for everything so it’s essential to have the humility to learn your way through a crisis of this magnitude.
Be honest, authentic, transparent, and communicate – no one has all the answers regardless of your position.
“Why is Contentment the Way of the Wise?
Greed is due to the erosion of one’s mental strength and inner peace when desires are more and more gratified. When a desire gets fulfilled, an insatiable thirst for more and more joy holds the individual, and this endless appetite ruins the mental strength and saps dry the personality-vitality. Greed is a sense of dissatisfaction constantly pursuing and poisoning the sense of satisfaction that we have already experienced.
In an undisciplined man, there can be no satisfaction at any time. He is unhappy even when his desires are satisfied because his appetite for enjoyment is sharpened and he hungers for more. If the desires are throttled, the disappointment brings him a thought storm of anger, and he suffers the consequent wretchedness.
Contentment with whatever has come to one as one’s fair share, is the motto of all serious seekers. To endlessly entertain and satisfy the demands of life would be an unending game; for, the mind has a knack of breeding its own demands very quickly.
The policy of contentment is the only intelligent attitude to be taken up by sincere seekers or else there will be no time to seek, to strive for, and to achieve the divine goal of life.
“Self-integration is the reward promised for all faithful pursuits. ” – Swami Chinmayananda
In our culture, too many people believe that contentment comes from attaining material possessions or assuming positions of power. However, they are not the keys to contentment.
If you are tempted to believe that you are going to be happy with more possessions or more power, then you might find yourself deeply disappointed.
To be content means to be stable, happy and satisfied with your circumstances.