3 Questions To Help You Take Back Control

In executive coaching, one thing I do with clients is help you get ahead of a crisis and forecast challenges you might face so you can develop a game-plan around how you might respond.

Last week in one of my sessions, my client said, “a few months ago, if you told me this virus would happen and the impact it would have globally, I would have thought it was impossible. But here we are.”

“Wherever you go, there you are.” - Gertrude B. Stein

So here we are. The world has changed significantly in just a short period of time. Nobody knows what lies ahead. So how can you take back some control in a time where you might feel tossed around and at the mercy of decision-makers, the market and everything else?

Give yourself time and space.

A massive change has been delivered. The world is different and none of us know what’s next. Anytime this happens, it’s natural to be frustrated and angry at the way the goal posts have changed, or how the playing field is completely different and the uncertainty of the entire situation. When this happens, you need to give yourself the time and permission to grieve about what’s different and uncertain.

Last week, absorbing the changes was difficult for me. Trying to work from my home office and be productive despite normal business activity coming to a halt. At the same time, attempting to homeschool four kids, cancelling my upcoming wedding, worrying about how long this disruption will last, and being scared about whether or not we are prepared for the way the world will be once the virus passes and the fog lifts. These are some of mine – what are yours?

3 Questions To Help You Take Back Control

Question 1: What are you grieving?

Take the time and list out everything you’re angry, scared and grieving about and give yourself the space to feel it; tell someone you love about it. Otherwise, If you’re like me, that frustration is going to come out at home, with the kids and the people who are most important..

Question 2: How do you want people to describe you and the way you navigated the current crisis?

When I deliver change ownership programs inside organizations, there’s an important question that brings a sharp focus and awareness on how people engage with the turbulence.

Whether you like it or not, people will feel, think, say and do things based on the way you lead and influence in normal times, let alone times that invite you to elevate your ability to lead.

What will the stories be that people tell about you? Get intentional about it.

Question 3: What’s Important Now (WIN)?

How to ‘WIN’ when your opponent seems unbeatable.

When the world changes, you need to see your world with different eyes. It is a seductive trap to let everything that happened two weeks ago, last week, or even yesterday impact what you do today. While difficult, bookshelves are filled with past stories about humanity overcoming insurmountable challenges.

A sports acronym that can be helpful is to break down the word WIN into three words: What’s Important Now.

You can lament about how you were having the best year of your business, about how your wedding was cancelled, or about how you have to find a way to homeschool and work and lead a team remotely. You can fret about all of this, however after you’ve given yourself permission to grieve, become intentional about how you want to show up given the current situation. You can cut through the fog and focus on what’s most important for you as a leader at home and in your business.

Take the time to answer these questions. Once you’ve answered them, I suggest making them a part of your daily reflection.