Reacting versus Leading

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Here’s another “Leadership Bits & Bytes” by my friend Rhoda Kreuzer.

While this does not exclusively apply to the waste and recycling industry, there are some important concepts that can be applied to any business operating in a time of crisis.

 

During times of crisis, there are certain reactions that primarily happen, including:

  • Denial: Pretending the crisis is not impacting people and business.
  • Fear: Staying overwhelmed by negative outcomes or thought trails.
  • Reworking: Reacting to the situation day by day; working from a survival state.
  • Blaming: Other people have caused this crisis, now they should have to fix it.

Successful leaders tend to have a different approach, rather than leading from their reactions. While reacting may keep your business surviving through this crisis, it will not allow for creativity or innovation. Strong leaders use an approach that focuses on solutions and new opportunities. As you navigate a crisis or challenging time, ask questions about what you are focusing on, giving your energy to and how you are spending your time. If the answers are less then fruitful, pivot to start identifying new opportunities, new needs to meet, new ways to deliver your products or services, new ways to engage your team, and/or new marketing approaches.

You cannot always resolve every issue, but you can respond in a positive way that builds momentum and ensures that you are prepared to succeed in the future. You can plant seeds about new opportunities with clients, you can use this time to evaluate how to become more efficient and more innovative. Instead of marking time, or being fearful, choose to use this time to improve and grow. The rewards of leading in times of crisis are huge. They prepare us for a successful future with teams that are focused on the right priorities.

What do you need to begin doing right now to prepare for the reopening of our economy? Do not wait—this window of preparation will close. Be ready!

Communication in Times of Crisis

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Here is a great article on communication written by a good friend of mine, Rhoda Kreuzer. While this article is geared more towards communicating with your in-house team, the same principles apply when communicating with your customers or community as well.

 

COMMUNICATION IN TIMES OF CRISIS

By Rhoda Kreuzer

 

If you can remember back to the beginning of this year, the word “Coronavirus” either was not part of your vocabulary or you only thought about it as something that occurred in other countries. It was not on our radar nor did we have any idea how devastating it would be to our health and economy.

A crisis rarely comes with instructions on how to navigate the disruption to our businesses. However, there are some keys that are imperative for all of us, one of which is communication. In particular, having a regular communication process is critical. When putting together your communication strategy, consider the following:

~Who will initiate communication throughout your organization? Typically having senior leadership communicate in times of crisis is important.

~What will be communicated? Transparency and authenticity are key in your communication. Provide your team with the confidence that they will know anything as soon as you know it.

~How often will you communicate? You can’t communicate too often. There is a lot of anxiety during times of crisis. I would suggest at least once a week or more depending on how much there is to communicate and how much is changing.

~What is the goal of the communication? The goal of your communication needs to be keeping people informed, calming fears, providing focus for their work, and outlining the strategy for navigating and overcoming the crisis.

While much of this seems to be common sense, communication is crucial in times of crisis. We often overlook the obvious in light of the urgent. Communication is a strong tool to influence and support your team. Consider these questions to succeed in times of crisis!

8 Signs an Employee is Exceptional

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 Here is a quick read from Brendan Rogers.  How many of your employees fit the description of  “Exceptional”?   More important, are you, as an entrepreneur in a position of leadership, “exceptional”?

  Brendan Rogers

Brendan Rogers

Partner & Co-Founder @ 2.a.m [ Ventures x Talent ] – Co-Founder @ Wag! | Investor | Advisor | Mentor |

Brendan Rogers is currently the Founder & Managing Partner of 2 a.m. [Ventures x Talent]. 2.a.m. is a pre-seed, industry-agnostic micro fund investing in ambitious founders from all over the world, as well as placing 10x talent in early-stage, high growth startups.Previously, Brendan Co-Founded Wag! the mobile dog walking app that disrupted the global pet service space. Wag! has raised over $360 million in venture capital, most recently $300 million from Softbank’s Vision Fund.Brendan is an active advisor and mentors many companies, accelerators, and universities in the LA/Silicon Valley area. He is a frequent contributor to Forbes, a speaker at national conferences, and has appeared on some of the top podcasts in the industry.Before Wag!, Brendan co-founded a social discovery service to meet new people, which grew to over 50 million users in over 10 countries and was acquired by IAC in 2014.

 

8 signs an EMPLOYEE is EXCEPTIONAL

 

1. They ask questions others do not

 

2. They constantly try to improve everything, starting with themselves

 

3. People come to them for help and advice

 

4. They remain positive in negative situations and are the sunshine for everyone else

 

5. They are loyal, knowledgeable, honest, and hard-working, they exceed expectations and help others exceed theirs.

 

6. They challenge status quo, and come up with new ideas

 

7. They have a strong sense of ownership, of urgency, of responsibility

 

8. They are nice people –
If people aren’t nice, then it does not matter how smart they are.

 

Did I miss anything?