7 TIPS TO LEAD UNDER PRESSURE
Today’s business world demands that its leaders must cope with the stress which accompanies the high responsibility inherent in their jobs. Leaders must know well how to deal with these pressures when they arise. They must also know that the way they handle these stress situations is key on the impression they create on their team players and clients.
If you are already a leader or aspiring to be one, here are 7 tips which will help you to handle your actions and communications during tough times in a positive way, and also lead you out of them successfully.
1. Keep everyone informed. Don’t let any issue slip away without getting noticed. That’s very important in critical times. Make everyone understand what’s going on.
Most leaders will not disseminate information which is critical to the smooth running of the organization or department which they head and rather adopt the “on need to know” basis strategy instead. This is good but for confidential matters amongst senior staff. Good communications flow is very key to the success of any organization and from time to time, leaders should frequently meet staff members and let them know what path the organization is taking to move it forward. If this is not done on a frequent basis or not at all, the information gap created will lead to rumour mongering amongst staff members who will eventually lead to dissent, resentment and apathy. This is very detrimental to the future success of the organization and you as a leader.
2. Make sure you give clear instructions to your team members, and most importantly, that everyone in the team has the same information. They should be written down and circulated to all those concerned, and in that way you will avoid conflict and misunderstandings among the team members.
It is now common place to find that some leaders and bosses of organizations adopt a divide and rule system of management when it comes to dealing with staff members. Some will deliberately do this to spite members of staff whom they find to be disloyal to them. They will also deliberately give counter instructions in order to bring confusion between sectional heads in order to discredit them. It is like giving a dog a bad name so that it can be drowned. This is a very bad management practice and should be avoided at all cost by leaders who strive to achieve excellence.
3. As a leader, you should be open to receive questions, and better yet, encourage your management team and staff members to ask questions if they need to clear out pertinent issues about the job at hand. You have to be sure they are 100 percent clear with all vital information.
Some leaders prefer to adopt a dictatorial style of management because they believe that style will stop others with different views from challenging them. In modern day management, this style is becoming obsolete since it only creates room for one person to drive the vision. This style also creates fear amongst team members who feel their questions may pose a challenge to the leader so they will not ask them at all to avoid being victimized. This eventually breeds sycophancy or boot licking amongst team members who will want to please the boss in order to win favour. This is bad for business and should be avoided by all aspiring leaders who want to achieve success.
4. You should involve your team members in key decision making. Of course you as a leader will be expected to make the last call, but you should ask for the support of your team in your decision making process. You will find your team is a lot more motivated when asked to participate in that decision.
It will be very bad for business if you always have to make the decisions alone without involving the team players. Your team players will eventually become “baby managers” who will constantly require spoon feeding to play their part. An organization with such team players cannot function effectively when the boss or leader is not available to run the show because they cannot do it on their own. Several reputable organizations have suddenly collapsed because their bosses died and left the running to such “baby managers” who were not groomed to lead. Know that your business or organization is in danger if you are such a leader.
5. Be there when it counts most. In difficult times know that your team will also be under pressure too, and they will need you around.
The worst thing that can befall an organization is when the leader absents himself or deliberately hides when there is a crisis. Some leaders will vanish from the scene and leave their subordinates to face the music. They will find an excuse not to be present when the boss or an important personality is visiting and they will take the credit when the damage is repaired by others. This is not a good example to show to your subordinates at all. As a leader, you should be bold enough to face the music together with your team players when there is a crisis and by so doing you will win respect and recognition from your peers.
6. Make them know you are there. Make the most of every meeting and contact with your staff and make them know they have your support. Not only must you be there, but communicate it as well.
Most leaders feel it is a waste of time having to be present at all meetings with staff members. As a result they will not hold frequent meetings and even when they are held, they will absent themselves in order to attend to “more pressing matters” and delegate it to their subordinate. As a leader, what is more pressing than having to meet with your own staff? Having close contact with your staff will make them know that you are serious about their welfare and it will also instill in them a sense of support from you as their leader.
7. And finally, as a leader you should keep a good sense of humour. You don’t need to be a Jim Carrey, Bill Cosby or an Ejah Koo to be funny. Keeping a good sense of humour is probably one of the best stress relievers that you can give to your team players.
It doesn’t really matter if you are not humorous, but remember that a leader who always wears a frown or keeps a straight face all the time, will keep staff away because they will think he or she cannot take a joke. Good humour encourages everyone to work in a calm, refreshing and positive environment.
If you follow these tips you will handle the stressful situations in a better way as they come, and you will definitely come out of them with a stronger team, and a stronger leadership.
Remember, to become a better leader, you must learn to be on the Alert.
