Thriving In Tough Times

Being a leader is never dull. While there will be many good times, there will be tough times too. So if you are a leader facing tough times, how can you continue to thrive?

Focus on Vision

As a leader you probably set out a vision of what you wanted to achieve. In tough times it can be easy to lose sight of your vision. You might need to re-connect with it and make sure you balance dealing with the here and now and the longer term.

Don’t Avoid

Tough times require courage from leaders. Faced with tough times it is easy to try and put off, delay or avoid taking the big decisions. Good leaders recognise that making the big calls is part of the territory of leadership.

Become An Expert Listener

It is really tempting to think you know best. Of course you have a depth of experience, that’s why you are a leader. At the same time the people who are close to the product or service creation or service delivery have great insights too. Engaging and really listening to these people can make a huge difference to the results you achieve if you are willing to do it.

Don’t Expect It To Be Easy

We all are to some extent resistant to change. It’s not change in itself that people are resistant to; it’s fear of the unknown. As a leader you need to handle this diplomatically, get to the heart of the concerns and then influence movement in the desired direction. There will be challenges and underestimating this is a real risk to you achieving results. Don’t expect it to be easy and be willing to do what it takes to get the results you want.

Bottom Line: The reality is that leading is challenging. At the same time, tough times often split the best from the rest.