It’s time to get out of “Crisis Mode,”. When the Pandemic dragged us kicking and screaming into a new paradigm, and it seemed like the building was on fire, the crisis management style of leadership—directive, simple, non-conversant—helped the world’s businesses make fast pivots and quick decisions.
Let’s not make it a habit.
It’s time to adapt. This old-school way of leading your people through a crisis is only effective in the short term. It has little longevity for innovation and growth. Why? Because this is fear-based leadership, and it floods the brain with chemicals that scream “freeze.”
Crisis mode is hard on teams. When they are not engaged in conversation, not participating in outcomes – they stop participating in conversations.
When that happens the flow of information slows to a trickle. Leadership simply does not have enough information to make great decisions. When humans are operating in fear, ideas are anemic, relationships are tense or disconnected, and feedback feels futile. Let’s not.
Embrace a new reality where teams are highly engaged in conversation and business leaders have all of the information they need to make great decisions.
Find out how to create psychological safety in the workplace and make this vision a reality at your workplace, watch The Truth About Boundaries, where we flip the script on the idea of boundaries that work against our brain chemistry.
304 is the Talent Strategy & Leadership Consultant and Neuroscience Expert that helps organizations understand how the brain wants to work so that we can thrive at work. Learn more about neuroleadership.