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How to Create New Levels of Engagement in a Time of Crisis

You are here: / How to Create New Levels of Engagement in a Time of Crisis

Are You or Your Organization Struggling
to Thrive During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

AS SEEN ON

When a crisis arises – global or otherwise – we find ourselves dealing with a new reality of strangeness and uncertainty, with new recommendations, guidelines and theories emerging sometimes hourly. 

People get scared, stressed and overwhelmed. Their attention gets divided between work, home, family and constant media updates. They worry about their loved ones, their own wellbeing and what the future will bring. 

As leaders, we need to take the lead in adapting to the new reality. We can no longer overlook the humanity of the people we lead. Nor can we expect them to show up in full work mode, leaving their personal life behind. As the silos of work and home fall away, we have to work that into how we lead if we are to lead successfully.

Here are some challenges your team or organization may face in crisis:

  • People not knowing what to do
  • Communication
  • Distribution of workload
  • Work expectations
  • Motivation and productivity
  • Self-management
  • Effective collaboration
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And here are some underlying challenges your employees may be facing that drive the above:

  • Anxiety about the world, their health and their job stability
  • Uncertainty about their contribution at this time
  • Feelings of disconnection or isolation
  • Difficult or distracting home situations
  • Inexperience with self-management 
  • Lack of sleep due to stress
  • Caring for sick family members
  • Attempting to homeschool or parent young children while working

Although this may look like a time of struggle and roadblocks, it is also an opportunity to build engagement on a new, and more enduring level. 

Now is the time to lead from the heart and embrace the possibilities for deeper engagement and trust within your team. Now, more than ever, we need true leadership that starts with leading yourself first, knowing your impact, and taking responsibility. This might mean unlearning who you are – or who you’ve always thought you need to be – and learning who you want, and have the potential, to be.

What worked yesterday simply will not work today. We need to come up with new ways of working. Every person needs to be engaged in a new way. In a crisis, what will keep companies going is having their employees engaged at high levels.

6 Steps to Create Engagement in Crisis and Beyond:

  • Step 1

    Start with yourself

    Ask yourself these questions:

    • What scares me right now?
    • What angers me right now?
    • How am I showing up for others right now?

    Then ask yourself:

    • What do I currently know as fact?
    • What impact do I want to have?
    • What do I know about others’ situations right now?
    • How do I want to show up for myself and others?

  • Step 2

    Create new routines where the primary goal is connection

    Where we would once bump into each other in the hallways, at the water cooler, getting a cup of coffee… crisis situations often strip that away. That informal, but deeply impactful daily connection goes missing at a time when we need connection more than ever.  

    Here are a few ideas for creating connection:

    • A daily call for team members to share personal struggles (work related or not – remember, everything is directly impacting everything else).
    • A daily “get up a stretch together” video conference.
    • Fun challenges or theme weeks like pictures of your pets, embarrassing things your kids have done on conference calls, etc.
    • Regular one-on-one calls with individual team members to check in and see how they’re doing (you might also want to ask if there’s anyone on the team they’re worried about).
    • Acknowledge recent media updates or rumors right off the bat – if you know something’s going around, get on a group call and bring it out into the open – don’t let it fester.

    As the leader, you might have to set the example and be the first to get vulnerable. Share your fears, struggles and how you’re trying to deal with them. When you take the first step, you create a safe space for others.

  • Step 3

    Be intentional about your impact

    Your outward mindset is so important during a crisis. Before you act, spend a moment to consider the impact and outcome intended. When connecting with your team, ask yourself:

    • How can I help them feel more appreciated?
    • Did I contribute to them feeling unappreciated?
    • What tone am I setting for my team?
    • Who am I not hearing from? (Time to reach out!)

    How you show up tells others how they are allowed to show up. If you’re dropping the “work mode” mask and being human, it gives your team permission to do the same. 

    When emotions run high, it takes a lot of energy to mask them. Let your team be real. Let them drop that extra load. They’ll not only feel more appreciated, relaxed and engaged, they’ll also have more energy to put into both their work and home life.

  • Step 4

    Set new expectations

    Expectations around getting things done have to change if people are going to be successful. What each person is capable of will depend on their unique situation, as well as on how things continue to evolve as you move forward.

    Here are some tips for setting reasonable expectations that empower, not overwhelm, your team:

    • Ask people what they feel they can give.
    • Ask, “What can I do to make things better for you?”
    • Reach out after only a few days to see how it’s working and modify expectations, if needed
    • Start every day with the question, “Has anyone’s situation changed?”
    • Pay attention to the unspoken – tone of voice, energy, body language over video, a change in email or IM responses, etc – ask about any changes one-on-one and without judgement.
    • Talk openly about your expectations of yourself and how/if they change.

    Now is the time to embrace flexibility, compassion and your own vulnerability.

  • Step 5

    Empower collaboration

    Working together helps us connect. Since a crisis situation can stop us from stopping by each other’s desks, we need to be more intentional in getting people to collaborate.

    Here are some ideas to try:

    • Break people into small groups of 2 or 3 to solve a problem or brainstorm ideas.
    • Create a list of tasks that require 2 or more people and let people “sign up” for them.
    • Design virtual team building exercises.
    • Create projects with short deadlines – Deadlines push people to get to work, but when you don’t know what things will look like down the road, keep your deadlines as short as possible.

  • Step 6

    Create a shared sense of purpose

    What are you all working towards together, in the moment? That answer might change weekly or even daily, but it always matters because it’s what binds your work together and helps people understand their contribution within the big picture.

    Here are a few tips to create this:

    • Determine a mission statement for the team (it can be about your goals, something like “We’ll get through this together”, or something silly or based off an inside joke).
    • Start each meeting saying your mission statement together (this will feel ridiculous, but it will also feel good).
    • Talk often about your team’s role in the organization and what’s happening because of the team’s contribution.
    • Share what it means to you to be able to rely on the team at this time and encourage others to share how the team positively impacts them.
    • Talk about the future – Talk about how you see the team evolving post-crisis and discuss how the steps you’re taking now are helping set the stage for later success.

Melissa’s HR, coaching, leadership skills and positivity were invaluable assets to our company. She hired and trained a great team, gave our employees tools to bring out the best of themselves in their work and helped us co-create an engaging culture. She also helped strengthen team relationships and communication. You can have the best product or service in the world, but if you don’t have a strong team behind it, you aren’t going anywhere. Melissa helped us build that strength.

Melissa was invited to Medtronic as a motivational speaker, where she captivated the audience with her dynamic presentation skills and her ability to both engage and influence a room. Her workshop is well thought out and is complimented with a crisp presentation, the combination makes working with Melissa- impactful, educational and most importantly – fun!

As a follow-up to her workshop, Melissa (a certified Co-Active Coach) also worked 1 on 1 with employees to ensure they were clear on how to implement and sustain the tools she introduced in her talk.