Photo by Paul Skorupskas on Unsplash
The early days of the pandemic were confusing, but we had adrenalin, novelty, and the panic of crisis driving us forward. Now we’re in the doldrums, having to stay the course, wondering when the next gale will hit, unsure where to focus our waning energy and how to control our fate.
In a recent webinar I hosted, I shared some ways to gain clarity as individuals, leaders, and with our teams. In the session we talked about some important skills and mindsets that can support us and share three key practices here:
Strengthen Your Core
Core human skills in emotional intelligence (EQ) create a foundation of emotional awareness and agility, which strengthens our connection - to self, to others, and to what’s important. These skills help us get back into alignment with our values and purpose, restore confidence in our capabilities, ask for what we need, and see the bigger picture beyond ourselves. They can also help us find the balance between our vital optimism that it will all work out, and those hard and practical facts on how to make that happen. One way of strengthening your core is by simply noticing and naming emotions that are coming up for you, and think about what’s behind them. Consider: What assumptions are you making? What needs are not being met? Boosting awareness of what you’re feeling and why is the first step to building your emotional effectiveness.
Get Curious
Instead of focusing on having all the answers, we can practice curiosity and start asking more questions. Curiosity can shift us to an exploration and experimentation mindset and invites us to consider new possibilities, whether it’s with our own thinking, or working through the problems facing our teams and organizations. Curiosity can generate creative ideas, increase our willingness to learn as we go, and leads to more robust solutions. Here’s a few questions to start your practice:
What’s out of alignment for me right now? Why does this matter?
What options have I considered? What actions am I willing to take?
What’s the worst that can happen? If that happens, what could I do about it?
What could I do now to prevent that?
What am I willing to let go of? Where will I take a stand?
Create Conversation
The only thing better than getting curious on your own is using curiosity to generate ideas with others! Studies show that when we are in dialogue with another person, different areas of our brains are activated, which means we actually think differently with others compared to when we’re thinking on our own. We can harness this brain-activating power of conversation by engaging with our teams, colleagues, or family members to work through questions and talk about challenges together, instead of wrestling with things on our own. Creating a safe place to share experiences and discuss collective needs can build connection, amplify what’s most important, and generate solutions that people are more willing to get behind.
If you’re struggling to find your momentum, feeling overwhelmed by either too much, or too little information, and not sure what’s next in any area of your life, you’re not alone. The practices above offer small things to try, and may help shine a light on the path ahead.
There’s no denying this is a strange time, and disorientation is part of the process. Despite our struggles, we humans are incredibly resilient and innovative, which shows up in different ways and at different times for each of us. Let’s acknowledge the challenge, celebrate small steps, and embrace the learning as we figure this out together.
Looking for strategies to strengthen your leadership, team connection, and emotional savvy? Sign up HERE for our monthly newsletter.
Looking to dig deeper and strengthen core skills? Restore Your Core can help.