CRISIS LEADERSHIP

with Joe Cheal Lead Imaginarian & Trainer

Imaginarium Learning & Development

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Introduction

The Buffer Zone

3E Model

• Engage: The Why

• Expect: The What

• Empower: The How

3E Leadership in Action

CONTROL MODE (Expect)

SUPPORT MODE (Engage)

TRUST MODE (Empower)

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Control Phase

The Control Phase is about managing expectations. It is about providing direction and clarity.

What to do in this Phase

✓ Be decisive (even if you have to think and come back to the team) ✓ Handle uncertainty and eliminate ambiguity. Avoid vague instructions. ✓ Provide an overview of:

o Context (i.e. vision, what has and what hasn’t changed – e.g. still here to deliver for our customers)

o Processes (i.e. how you’ll be going about things, including communications plan) o Content (i.e. what will you be doing over next two weeks & what you need them

to do) ✓ Provide clear boundaries and expectations ✓ Regular ‘huddles’ and updates ✓ Be visible ✓ Create structure and routine ✓ Clear message – be consistent across leadership team ✓ Next steps – plan (including contingencies) ✓ Communication plans & more regular comms (team and individual) ✓ Refer to a trusted higher authority if required (e.g. Company policy/procedure, Public

Health England/government) ✓ Be careful about ‘leaving it up to people’s common sense’. (When acting from

fear/anxiety, people do not act rationally – they may be more selfish and less acting for the good of others).

Risks and consequences of getting stuck in Control Phase

• Leader ends up doing more. ‘Command and control’.

• Team members are not proactive. Wait to be told. Become demoralised. Will not make decisions or notice things that need doing.

When use it?

• During times of uncertainty, ambiguity and mixed messages.

• When the team feel lost and anxious.

• When things feel out of control.

• At briefings and milestone review points.

• When you need everyone’s attention.

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Support Phase

The Support Phase is about managing engagement. It is about getting and keeping the team on board and delivering.

What to do in this Phase

✓ Team focus: Be with the team, work with the team to keep them on board and deliver the vision

✓ Individual focus: Set up 1:1s, coaching & training ✓ Embed the culture and values (so the team can make better decisions) ✓ Involve staff in decisions, plans and solutions ✓ Being ‘hands in’ and helping out: get your shirt sleeves rolled up! ✓ Focus on motivation and recognition ✓ Develop sense of purpose, remind team of the ‘mission’ ✓ Agreeing priorities ✓ Help the team and get them helping others ✓ Deliver!

Risks and consequences of getting stuck in Support Phase

• Only perceived as ‘one of the team’… hence lose authority, credibility and respect… may be seen as ‘weak’.

• Team begins to wonder why the leader is not really ‘leading’ (e.g. making decisions and giving direction)

• Individuals may go to another team member instead of leader. A ‘psychological leader’ emerges.

When use it?

• When you are hands in/taking action

• When coaching someone (hands on/off)

• To demonstrate that you are prepared to do what they do… when being ‘one of the team’

• When the team know the outcome but need help with delivery

• When individuals need your attention

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Trust Phase The Trust Phase is about managing empowerment. It is about letting your team get on with it.

What to do in this Phase

✓ Delegation: freedom within boundaries (using impact of take and experience of person) ✓ Being more hands ‘off’ ✓ Making staff more responsible for delivery and for communications ✓ Trust yourself that you can handle any problems that arise! ✓ Encourage your team to deliver the 3Fs of Managing Upwards:

o Forecast: predict needs and handle uncertainty o Fulfil: taking ownership and filling gaps o Filter: what to communicate upwards and how

Risks and consequences of getting stuck in Trust Phase

• Leader loses control and respect

• Appears as if the leader is ‘abdicating’

• Invisible leader, never present

• Team drifts or go their own way

• Team develops allegiance to a psychological leader

• Team complain that the leader is not leading (e.g. giving any clear direction) – uncertainty and apathy

• The ‘fantasy-reality gap’ develops – team think the leadership should be doing more/better

When use it?

• When the team know what they are doing (and you being there may be ‘getting in the way’ or appearing like micro-managing)

• When the team understand the impact of their decisions, know how to deliver and are motivated to do so

• When you need to step back and look at the bigger picture, e.g. strategic thinking.

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A Brief Guide to Managing Remote Teams (AKA Virtual/Distant/Dispersed/Home-Workers)

Challenges • Communication failure, misunderstandings

• Isolation and uncertainty

• Duplication or omission

• Impersonal

• No team feeling, greater chance of conflict, blaming and ‘blanking’

• Demotivation, don’t feel involved or sense of ownership

• Lose sense of bigger picture, can lead to “not my job”

Tips Clarity of Roles and Tasks

• Team involved in meeting to (re)establish purpose, roles and tasks to achieve objectives

• New members welcomed and briefed effectively Manager’s role: take time to make sure procedures are in place and being followed. Allow for as much social interaction as possible, e.g. through online meetings. 121s and feedback become crucial. Clarity and use of Communication Procedures

• Virtual whiteboard/weekly diary system (who’s doing what?)

• Variety of meeting types – telephone, teleconf, videoconf, online message boards

• Email codes in ‘re:’ box: e.g. ‘info’, ‘act by:’, ‘update’.

• More complex and/or emotive issues require “richer” communication media. Manager’s role is to make the best use of the time available for communication & team meetings. Team Sense – The Personal Factor

• The team agrees upfront: shared goals/vision, roles, standards and processes. This is reviewed regularly through: “What’s working? What’s not working – what do we need, how shall we do that?” process at face to face or video-conf meetings as appropriate.

• Face to face meetings/workshops including team building events, socials at least 3-4 times a year

• Allow for social chat in phone calls and video meetings. Manager’s role: Phone/video people regularly (e.g. once a week) to ask how it’s going. Knowledge Management

• Keep everyone up to date & informed.

• Stay in the loop, so you know what your team are doing. Manager’s role is to be a ‘hub’ – all relevant info and decisions made are sent on to the ‘hub’ who can then collate and disseminate to the rest of the team.

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Psychological Reactions to Crisis

Getting on with it. Changes are integrated. Implementing the new ‘business as usual’.

Creativity and innovation. Developing ideas as to how to ‘be’ in this new reality and how to tackle

the challenges of the situation.

Coming to terms with the reality of the situation. Resilience strategies begin to kick in.

Closing the ‘fantasy-reality gap’. “It is what it is.”

Understanding that there is a new situation/problem but feeling e.g.

frustrated/depressed/overwhelmed.

Also known as denial. Avoid thinking about it, acting or taking it seriously. “It’ll never happen (to me).”

External stimulus generates an initial impact/shock. Breaks us out of our ‘norm’.

This model is an adaptation of the classic ‘change curve’. The reason for adapting the original is to show the loops of reactions that people go through during times of crisis. Rarely do we experience a logical step-by-step progression through the stages. We might flip from anger to proactivity to mild depression to anxiety to brainstorming ideas to taking action to feeling frustrated etc. This is linked to what is known as the ‘hope-disillusionment’ cycle. Of course, when faced with a specific, reactive, emergency-crisis (e.g. an accident, split water tank), we tend to act immediately (or freeze or want to run away). However, in terms of handling a longer-term crisis, this model describes the layers of psychological reactions. This is important for people to realise that they are not unusual or abnormal for bouncing/looping around.

WELLBEING & MENTAL HEALTH

• Coping with Change

• Dealing with Pressure

• Positive Mental Health Toolkit

• Resilience: Developing the ‘Bounce

Back’ Factor

• Staying Positively Happy

• Stress Management

• Wellbeing: Staying Psychologically

Healthy

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

• Change Leadership

• The Complete Leader: Inspirational &

Practical

• Delegate!

• Feedback for Effectiveness

• Developing People: Leader as Coach

• Having tough conversations

• Leadership in Action

• Managing People Successfully

• Making Meetings Work

• Motivate!

• Project Leadership

• The Supportive Manager

• Team Building and Development

PERSONAL IMPACT

• Career & Profile Development

• Innovation: Getting Creative

• Making Your Life Work 4U:

Confidence

• Networking Skills

• Personal Power

• Time Management

• Understanding/Managing

Unconscious Bias

IN FRONT OF THE AUDIENCE

• Advanced Presentation Skills

• The Essential Presenter

• Persuasive Presentations

• Train the Trainer

EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT

• Advanced Negotiation Skills

• Becoming a Mentor

• Strategic Change Management

• Making NLP Work

• Organisational Development

• Organisational Politics

• Troubleshooting: Problem Resolution

• Working with Transactional Analysis

RESULTS AND RELATIONSHIPS

• Assertiveness: Clarity and Focus

• Building Partnerships

• Conflict Resolution

• Customer Care

• Dealing with Difficult People

• Delivering the Message:

Communication

• Handling Conflict in Meetings

• Influence and Persuasion

• Magic of Mediation

• Negotiation Skills

• Understanding Personalities

HR SKILLS FOR MANAGERS

• Appraisal

• Capability & Disciplinary

• Controlling Absence

• Dealing with Poor Performance

• Dealing with Bullying and

Harassment

• Introduction to Counselling

• Interviewing Skills

CERTIFICATIONS

• Coaching Diploma

• NLP Business Diploma

• NLP Practitioner

• NLP Master Practitioner

• NLP Trainer’s Training

Imaginarium?

An imaginarium is a place of wonder… a safe place to learn…

to test out and develop practical ideas for application ‘back in the real world’.

Imaginarium Learning & Development is a consultancy that specialises in inspiring the imagination

and potential of organisations, leadership, management and individuals through OD, L&D and

Executive Coaching.

Since 1993, we have worked with a wonderful collection of companies, always seeking to work in

partnership… enhancing the profile of leadership, learning, training and development in our

client’s organisation. As well as leading the market in our specialist fields, we are serious about

continuous improvement and ongoing learning, keeping up to date with leadership, management

and HR issues. Each key trainer has over 20 years training experience and has worked with over

10,000 people from a range of industries and cultures.

Our aim is to provide flexible, high quality training and learning solutions to all of our clients. Our

mission is to oil the wheels of development… making life easier for people in a time of ever-

increasing complexity… engaging and empowering people to be the best they can be…

Courses

Imaginarium Learning & Development offers a range of L&D consultancy services including needs

assessment, design and provision of training courses. Courses can be adapted from a half-day to two-days in

length and some topics can be presented as short ‘spotlight’ sessions.

Imaginarium Learning & Development

Oakhurst, Marden’s Hill, Crowborough, E. Sussex. TN6 1XL

Tel (01892) 309205 Email: info@imaginariumdev.com

www.imaginariumdev.com