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#Leadership : How I Learned To Worry Productively ….You’re Not Going to Stop Worrying, So you Might as Well Learn How to Make it Work for You.

March 20, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

We’re in a golden age of tracking: We track our steps, our sleep, our time on Facebook, and other sites we deem “productivity killers” (looking at you, Instagram). But one thing we still don’t track or think about much: the amount of time we spend worrying.

It makes sense–it’s not like a wrist tracker or Google Chrome extension could measure or sense the time we spend worrying about the future. But if we had something that could track our worry time? I know I’d probably end each day with the 10,000-step equivalent.

Congrats, you worried for a solid 3 hours total today!

We spend a lot of time worrying. A 2017 survey of 2,000 millennials showed that the average respondent spent the equivalent of 63 full days a year worried and stressed out. That’s like June and July–all lost to worry.

There are many reasons why we worry, but one of the main reasons is simply because we can. Unlike all other animals on the planet, we have the power to look into the future–with all its uncertainty and fuzziness–and reflect. And that stirs up the worry machine as we try to figure out what’s going to happen and how we’ll react.

It can feel productive, and studies show that we often believe worrying helps prevent negative outcomes or helps us find a better way of doing things.

But here’s the thing: Most of what we worry about never happens. A study from the University of Cincinnati showed that 85% of what we worry about never actually happens. And the 15% of things that do happen? The study showed we’re typically able to handle it better than expected or it teaches us an important lesson, according to the Huffington Post.

This paradox of worry–so all-consuming yet unproductive–is summed up best by Mark Twain, who famously said: “I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.”

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EASE THE WORRY

So, let’s all just stop worrying, okay?

Just kidding–I know firsthand it’s not that easy. I’ve been told to just “stop worrying” for years and, well, it just doesn’t happen like that. And reaching inbox zero with our worries is actually impossible. We’re wired to have some level of worry to protect ourselves–it’s why we look both ways before crossing the streets.

But the constant worrying about things that haven’t happened or things that aren’t even on the menu for the near future? We can take steps to curb overthinking.

Through trial and error, many late-night Google searches of “how to actually stop worrying,” and talking to other worry-inclined people, I’ve found a few techniques that help me ease worry and cut back on those 63 full days of dread.

Before we get into tips, it’s important to recognize that “worry” and “anxiety” are close friends but very different psychological states. Psychology Today offers a great breakdown of the differences. If you feel overwhelmed by your worries or in anxiety territory, it might be time to seek help from a professional. As someone who worries and has anxiety, I can’t recommend therapy enough.

But now, some tips for the casual worry wart:

TURN YOUR “WHAT IF” INTO “I CAN”

Even if we know most of our worries won’t come to fruition, it still can feel hard to let go of our “what if” scenarios. What can help: Refocusing from the “what if” to the “I can.” By that, I mean “I can problem solve” or “I can handle it.”

Dwelling on issues isn’t productive–but problem solving is. “Ask yourself what steps you can take to learn from a mistake or avoid a future problem,” Amy Morin, LCSW, a psychotherapist, explains in Psychology Today. “Ask yourself what you can do about it.”

But some slippery worries don’t come with a solution–they’re so far in the future, we can’t even take steps in the now. In those cases, it’s helpful to release a little control and focus on, “I can handle it.”

It’s a method that works for Joymarie Parker, 30, the cohost of the Joblogues podcast and a self-proclaimed worrier. Parker says when she switches from trying to control the future to trusting she can handle whatever comes, it helps her redirect her thoughts.

“When you can release the need for things to happen one way and accept however they happen, you’ll thrive and you’ll survive in that,” Parker says. “I like to think, ‘This can go really well or not so well, but I’m okay with both of those outcomes.’ And a lot of times when we worry, it turns out to be nothing or it was manageable. Whatever happens, we always come out of it on the other side.”

SET A TIME TO WORRY

Setting a designated time to worry can help you cut back on overthinking and recognize how much time you give those might-happen-but-probably-won’t-but-here’s-what-I’d-do-if-it-did thoughts. It’s a great way to ease into cutting back on worrying without forcing yourself to go cold turkey.

“Stewing on problems for long periods of time isn’t productive, but brief reflection can be helpful,” Morin explains.

Morin recommends setting aside 20 minutes of “thinking time” each day. “During this time, let yourself worry, ruminate, or mull over whatever you want,” she writes. “Then, when the time is up, move onto something more productive.”

I’ve found having a confined time to worry makes me prioritize my worries. It helps me weed out the highly irrational (What if I broke my leg tomorrow?) and focus on the worries that I can act on (What if I don’t finish that project by tomorrow?).

A set time to think also helps me stay “worry-lite” throughout the rest of the day. If a worry pops up outside of my scheduled time, I swipe it aside like a bad push notification and tell myself to “revisit during thinking time.” And when I do get to my thinking time? Half the time I find myself forgetting what nagged at me earlier in the day–another cue it wasn’t important to begin with.

CALL YOUR WORRIES OUT

Like I said earlier, we tend to love tracking our habits and finding ways to optimize our time. But worrying essentially goes against that goal to get more done in less time. Reminding myself of how unproductive it is to worry actually helps me calm it down.

As much as it can feel like worry is motivating me, or it shows that I care about something, I know 99% of the time it’s stopping me from actually living my life. When a worry pops up, I like to challenge it with a “Is this useful?” It helps me connect back to the present me–the “me” who actually has things to do and people to see–and it helps me dismiss the worries that don’t serve me.

I’ve accepted that I’ll never “stop worrying”–I’m a proud worry wart for life. But like my FitBit shows me how much time I spend sitting, noticing my worries helps me see the time I lose to irrational “what ifs.” Now, I’m starting to reclaim that time.

This piece originally appeared on Shine and is reprinted with permission. Shine Text is a free, daily motivational text service. To sign up, text “SHINE” to 759-85 or go to www.shinetext.com to learn more.

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FastCompany.com | March 20, 2018 | BY HALEY GOLDBERG—SHINE 6 MINUTE READ

#Leadership : How To Prepare For The Worst Without Being A Pessimist…Everyone Faces Tough Times & Personal Emergencies. You Can’t Prepare for Everything, But you Can Take some Positive Steps to Withstand Them.

March 14, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Regardless of how committed you are to your career, eventually the unthinkable happens. From serious illness to the death of a loved one to a natural disaster, into each upwardly mobile professional’s life some personal emergency will fall.

And while it’s impossible to be fully prepared for these potentially life-changing events, a little planning can go a long way in weathering them successfully.

“Nobody plans for illness. Nobody plans for a tree falling on their house. Nobody plans for this stuff, and I think that it’s important that first and foremost you just take the time [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][to do so],” says Alexa Fischer, actor, confidence coach, and entrepreneur. She urges professionals to stop avoiding the process and begin preparing.

Here are six steps that will get you started.

THINK IT THROUGH

It can be difficult to contemplate negative or traumatic events, but mentally “walking through” a situation that would put you out of work for an extended period of time can help you identify what you would need to weather that storm, says Scott Amyx, chair and managing partner at Amyx Ventures, a San Francisco-based venture fund, and author of Strive: How Doing the Things Most Uncomfortable Leads to Success. What would you need if you were going through an illness, personal tragedy, or disaster? Think about what you would need personally and professionally. What help would you need for yourself and your team to emerge from the situation in the best way possible? Make a list of the areas you’d need to address or where you would need support, he says.

“The best thing that you can do is make sure that there is a support structure, but ultimately support comes in different forms. It could be people in your personal or professional life, but also could be faith-based,” he says.

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CREATE A COUNCIL

Once you have a sense of the areas where you’ll need help, begin to build those networks, Amyx advises. “One of the wisest pieces of advice that I ever received is having a ‘council of 12.’ This can apply professionally but also personally. Who in your life can you count on when something happens? Do you have that 12 or so people around you that can help get you through tough times?” he says.

Sometimes, your “council” members will provide advice, coaching, or counseling. Certain members may provide practical help such as meal deliveries, or personal friends who will stop by your home to help out. Building such a support system can be invaluable when an unwelcome event occurs, he says.

SYSTEMATIZE

Suddenly being away from your job for a period of time can be additionally stressful if you’re worried about work, and whether your team members will be able to manage without you. “The best thing we can do for ourselves is to create systems around us so that other people can do the work when we can’t,” Fischer says. “If your work or your gatekeeping is so precious that you have to be there—nobody else can do it for you, or access it for you—that is a liability to your company, but it’s also a huge stresser. So things like organizing passwords, organizing work flow, that organizational piece is actually freedom for you.”

She says that some people fear creating such systems, sharing information, and cross-training colleagues because they worry it makes them easier to replace. But that worry is usually baseless for valued employees, which most companies work hard to keep. And having such systems in place has benefits, too. “It also makes for great vacations, because it doesn’t have to be a terrible emergency. The same systems can be used so that you can actually get away,” she says.

BUILD GOODWILL

Investing time in building strong work relationships and having a reputation for being reliable and an active contributor to the organization is also important for getting through personal emergencies. “If you make yourself an invaluable part of your business community, so that your unique contributions are seen as unique, if you’re really engaged, if you’re looking for innovative ways to add value to the company, there’s a much greater chance that when and if something happens, the company is going to continue to give you what time you need, because they want you back. You’re valuable to them,” says business leadership coach Cheri Torres, coauthor of Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement.

On a more personal level, when you reach out to help colleagues and others in your network when they need you, you invest in that goodwill bank, she says. The beneficiaries of your kindness and help are likely to give back as well, and to pick up slack when you can’t do so.

WEAVE YOUR OWN SAFETY NET

A 2017 report from the Federal Reserve found that 44% of Americans have so little savings that they couldn’t cover an unexpected $400 emergency expense. Beyond preparing through systems and building relationships, it’s also important to prepare financially to the best possible extent, says Amyx, who was once a financial planner.

Saving a nest egg, investing in insurance to protect your assets and income, and a creating a comprehensive financial plan can give you more flexibility and help you bounce back from difficult times. Such tools may include disability, renters, or homeowners insurance and a line of credit that can help you cover unexpected expenses in a pinch. More companies are making financial counseling and planning advice available to their employees, so check with your HR department to see what might be available to you.

You should also know your employer policies and benefits, as well as your employment rights under state, federal, and local law, Torres advises. Be sure you know the leave and other benefits to which you are entitled, both for company policy and the laws that govern your company.

KNOW HOW YOU STAY GROUNDED

In the throes of a personal emergency, it can be difficult to think clearly and not get caught up in the emotion surrounding the event, Fischer says. Take care of yourself as much as possible during times like these and find ways to alleviate stress and calm your inner critic.

“In my own evolution, [I’ve learned] just to recognize the critic, but then find that calmer voice that is going to look toward something that is more positive that we’re going to work on,” she says. So, whether it’s taking long walks, making art, or simply spending time with family and friends, find the activities that help you remain calm and centered so you can make the best decisions in difficult situations, she says.

FastCompany.com | March 14, 2018 | Gwen Moran

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Your #Career : How To Stay #Motivated When Your Company Is Going Through A #Crisis …It can be Hard to Stay Positive when you’re an #Employee in a Struggling Company. However, there are Things you Can Do to Create #Motivation When Things are Difficult at Work.

March 9, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Motivation isn’t a switch that you can turn on or off. At work you’ve probably found that motivation comes pretty easily when the company is doing well, and your efforts are rewarded. When a company is in trouble, however, it’s not always that easy. You might be expected to take on additional responsibilities and pull extra hours, but without the recognition and compensation that you would have received when the company wasn’t in crisis mode.

Many workers today accept that job security is not as prevalent as it once was. Allison Gabriel Rossetti, an assistant professor of management/organization and psychology at the University of Arizona, says that when it comes to jobs,”There’s definitely been a lot more volatility.” When a company experiences volatility, it can bring a sense of uncertainty among its employees. “We know from a job-stress perspective that ambiguity and stress is going to hinder an employee’s well-being,” Gabriel Rossetti adds.

There are steps you can take to maintain your motivation. With the right attitude, you might just be able to turn the worry into a career-growing opportunity.

LOOK FOR MORE WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE

When you’re worried about the security of your job, taking on any extra work might be the last thing you want to do. But Gabriel Rossetti says that offering help when you smell trouble in the company is a great way to increase your motivation. She suggests telling your manager that you’re sensing some problematic signals, and that you’d love to help out in any way to move the company forward. By doing this, you’re focusing on solutions rather than ruminating on the problems. And when you feel like you’re making progress, even incrementally, motivation is easy to come by, as Jane Porter wrote in a 2016 Fast Company article.

GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR INTRINSIC, RATHER THAN EXTRINSIC VALUES

Motivation comes from wanting something. During tough times, it can be difficult to rely on extrinsic motivation like snagging that title change, or a bonus or raise that you might not receive this year. Intrinsic motivation, however, is easier to tap into. When your “why” for your work is more than just your paycheck, you can derive happiness in doing the work itself. In Are You Fully Charged? The 3 Keys To Energizing Your Work and Life, author Tom Rath cited a research that discovered West Point cadets who enrolled due to intrinsic motivation (i.e., desire to serve) were more likely to graduate, become commissioned officers, receive promotions, and stay in the military than those who enrolled to get better jobs and make more money. Gabriel Rossetti suggests asking yourself the following questions: “I entered this job and company for a reason. What were the values I saw here? What are some things I do in this role that reflects those values?”

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FIND AN ACTIVITY OUTSIDE OF WORK THAT GIVES YOU MEANING

If the crisis has forced you to take on activities you care very little about, but life circumstances dictate that you need to stay in your company, find an activity outside of work that can give you intrinsic meaning. This way, you’re not coming to work deprived of that fulfillment and into an environment where everyone is on edge. And as Jared Lindzon previously reported for Fast Company, certain hobbies like improv can even train you to thrive in uncertainty.

FOCUS ON ONE SMALL SUCCESS A DAY

When it seems like a company’s situation presents a barrier to your long-term career, it’s easy to focus on the things that you’re not accomplishing. But chances are, you’re probably still experiencing small successes every day, but you’re not seeing them as a “win” because you’re too focused on the “bigger” task of navigating the company crisis. Completing a project is a win, and so is making that difficult phone call when you really didn’t feel like making it. As Vivian Giang previously reported for Fast Company, “Small wins matter big. It’s that tinge of excitement that helps us move forward during that long, uphill battle. Small wins signal to our brain that progress is happening, and big results are just around the corner.” Now that’s motivation.

FastCompany.com | 03.09.18 | BY ANISA PURBASARI HORTON 3 MINUTE READ

#Leadership : 7 Steps for Maintaining Your Composure in Times of Chaos…During Times of Uncertainty and Adversity you Must Avoid Making your People feel Unsafe and Insecure. Here are Seven Ways to Maintain Leadership Composure During the Most Pressure-Packed Moments.

December 29, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Let’s face it: Uncertainty is the new normal and growing tensions between leaders and their employees are creating challenges like never before. This requires those leaders to act and face change fearlessly and authentically. They must have the wisdom and courage to step back, be a little vulnerable and then influence the outcome – all while keeping the people they answer to calm.

As a result, leaders need to show more composure than ever before in the workplace. With the change management requirements, increased marketplace demands and intensifying competitive factors that surround us, leaders must have greater poise, agility, and patience to minimize the impact of uncertainty. How leaders respond to these and other growing pressures is an indicator of their leadership preparedness, maturity, and acumen that encourages an optimistic, glass-half-full environment where employees are free to share their ideas and ideals.

The composure of a leader is reflected in their attitude, body language, and overall presence. In today’s evolving business environment, it is clear that leadership is not only about elevating the performance, aptitude, and development of people but more so about the ability to make people feel safe and secure.

Employees have grown tired of working in survival mode and thus want to be part of a workplace culture where they can get back to doing their best work without the fear of losing their jobs. In fact, the 21st-century leader sees adversity through the lens of opportunity.

When leading – especially during times of uncertainty and adversity, crisis and change – you must avoid making your people feel unsafe and insecure. Here are seven ways to maintain leadership composure during the most pressure-packed moments:

1. Stay Passionate but Don’t Allow Your Emotions to Get in the Way

Seasoned leaders know that passion is everything and burying their emotions is futile. But that doesn’t mean we can wear our emotions on our sleeves, especially when cooler heads must prevail. Don’t yell or get overly animated when times get tough. Keep positive body language. Without these things, employees interpret you as not being in control and too passionate about the situation at hand. Strong-willed leaders can maintain their composure and connection, expressing concern and care, without their emotions becoming a distraction.

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2. Don’t Take Things Personally

I know this seems ridiculous to say in light of how our Donald Trump uses Twitter but there are exceptions to every rule, even this one: Leaders shouldn’t take things personally when things don’t go their way – eventually it backfires. Business decisions and circumstances don’t always play out logically because office politics and other dynamics factor into the process. Don’t get defensive or think that you always must justify your thinking and actions when they do. When you take things personally, it’s difficult to maintain your composure and make those around you believe that you have things under control. In fact, when leaders take issues too close to heart, they allow the noise to suffocate their thinking and decision-making capabilities.

3. Keep a Positive Mental Attitude

Employees are always watching their leader’s actions, behavior, relationships and overall demeanor. During the most difficult of times, leaders must maintain a positive mental attitude and manage a narrative that keeps their employees inspired and hopeful. This is where your leadership experience and resolve can really shine – by staying strong, smiling often and authentically exhibiting a sense of compassion. Leaders set the tone for the organization they serve. A positive attitude can neutralize chaos and allow a leader to course correct through any negativity.

4. Remain Courageous

During uncertain times, leaders must remain fearless. I’ve been through ups and downs in my career and have learned that when you begin to fear adverse circumstances, you not only put yourself in a position of vulnerability, but it becomes extremely difficult to act rationally and focus. When you panic, you mentally freeze. If you begin to get fearful, ask yourself: What is the worst possible thing that can happen? When you have the will and confidence to face that, you will realize that the situation is manageable and can be resolved.

5. Respond Decisively

Donny Deutsch said it best in the title of one of his books: Often Wrong, Never in Doubt. Leaders who maintain their composure will never show any signs of doubt. They speak with conviction, confidence, and authority – whether they know the answer or not! Because they believe it and instill that belief in others – even in the darkest times.

6. Take Accountability

Leaders should be most composed during times of crisis and change and be fully committed to resolving the issue at hand. When they are accountable, this means that they have made the decision to assume responsibility and take the required steps to problem solve before the situation gets out of hand. When leaders assume accountability, they begin to neutralize the problem and place the environment from which it sprung on pause.

7. Be Willing to Listen and Remain Vulnerable

Great leaders know that one of the most effective ways to maintain composure during difficult times is to act like you have been there before. Leaders that make others feel they have been through the problem-solving process numerous times before are those with who approach the matter at hand with a sense of elegance and grace. They are patient and active listeners, and they will genuinely take a compassionate approach to ease the hardships that anyone else is experiencing. They give you hope that the problems will soon be solved – and they are affected as deeply as you are.

It’s easy to lose composure during times of crisis and change if you let concern turn into worry and worry turn into fear. By maintaining composure, the best leaders remain calm, cool and in control – enabling them to step back, critically evaluate the cards that they have been dealt and face problems head-on. A show of composure also puts those you lead at ease and creates a safe and secure workplace culture where no one needs to panic in the face of adversity.

Entrepreneur.com | December 28, 2016 | GLENN LLOPIS

Your #Leadership : 4 Hallmarks of Leadership in a Time of Crisis…So, the Message Here is: It Doesn’t Matter How Large or Small a Company yours Is; you Simply Can’t Ignore Crisis Communications.

October 29, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Above all, the biggest mistake you can make in a crisis situation is doing nothing. Be prepared, work the plan, respond quickly and take appropriate action — lead. Your customers and your team may even thank you for it.

News of your imminent merger was just leaked by a young, ambitious journalist who caught your CFO off guard at a networking event.

Your CEO is being led out of your building in handcuffs.

These examples could all be real. Companies face such scenarios daily, and some are serious enough to bring down companies. The most recent and very public example is the Wells Fargo debacle, which culminated with the resignation of CEO John Stumpf. Those revelations were almost a textbook case of what not to do when a crisis arises.

So, the message here is: It doesn’t matter how large or small a company yours is; you simply can’t ignore crisis communications.

A great positive example of how to navigate the waters of a crisis? Skittles. The company’s swift and direct response to a tweet from Donald Trump, Jr., comparing a bowl of Skittles to Syrian refugees gained the candymaker praise across social media.

How do you plan and prepare for anything from a destructive tweet to a financial crisis? By having in place a solid crisis communications strategy. A documented, well-thought-out plan with actionable tactics. Just as a winning sports team has a crisis playbook, you can do the same, to help you make any bad-news scenario more manageable, less painful and, hopefully, ensure a positive outcome.

Here are a few tips on how to create a winning crisis strategy.

Have a plan, work the plan.

According to a 2013 study by the Institute of Internal Auditors, only 54 percent of respondents had a crisis plan. That’s insane.

Not having a plan is like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. Sure, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day efforts for growing and managing your business, but it’s delusional to think a crisis won’t happen to you. You can never fully predict when one, or fallout from one, will hit, but I promise you that 90 percent of potential crises are known and you can — and should — be prepared.

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So, to do that, have your team come up with all types of scenarios — from the common to the far-fetched. What are the most frequent negative scenarios in your industry? A disgruntled customer? Violence inside a store or at a facility? Stolen documents? An offensive social media campaign?

Next up? The actual plan.

Create a solid crisis communications plan that includes:
- Holding statements
- Emergency contacts
- An audit you can complete as facts are uncovered
- Approved messaging
- Template press releases
- A social media policy
- Designated spokespersons (have more than one)
Prepare holding statements for every scenario, no matter how unlikely they seem. I’ve had holding statements for everything from a negative social media situation to a terrorist threat. Cover your bases.

Designate the team. Ensure you have representation from critical areas like legal and HR and adequate representation from your c-suite.

Have a back-up to the back-up. Inevitably during a crisis, the head of legal will be on a vacation with no cell signal, or your CEO will be en route to Dubai and unreachable. The team needs to be enabled and empowered to make critical decisions without having everyone present. Or designate an alternate. The plan should clearly outline roles and responsibilities.

Disseminate information. Know how critical information gets to the right people; know the right place and the right time. For example, journalists, customers and others may be calling. Are your receptionists, call center teams or others prepared for questions? Have a plan so everyone knows where information will come from and how to respond, should someone call or even stop in at your company.

When a crisis arises, work with what you know.

Once a crisis hits, the team needs to quickly ascertain the level or significance of the crisis. Sometimes it’s just an issue, sometimes it’s more. And it can change over time or circumstance. So be prepared for anything.

Once you assess the situation, determine the facts. What do you know? Start working with that. Respond quickly, factually, genuinely.

Document all of the necessary information, including:
- A brief description of what happened
- What is being done to rectify the situation
- Steps being taken to prevent the situation from happening again
- Key contacts, names and details, like time, location and anything else that is known
- A website, social media handle/page or toll-free number for additional assistance or information

Social media is often the first medium where news breaks. The old adage was, respond within the hour. With social, you need to respond in seconds. Social media is an incredibly useful listening and communication tool, so make sure your team is monitoring the conversation online and responding quickly with what is known, plus appropriate apologies or statements. Not responding is not an option.

A word of caution: Don’t let speed be an obstacle for discerning your message. Be quick, but precise. Leave no room for misinterpretation. Once again, refer to the Skittles response mentioned earlier — be short, quick and to the point.

Create a “war room” for the crisis team. Your war room should be kept away from the core of your business, out of immediate sight and contact with employees, customers or others while the team assesses the situation. Rent a hotel suite if you must, but while you work through the situation, make sure you contain the information. Don’t print to a shared printer the rest of the company uses. Until you know more, being a little cautious, even a little paranoid, is not necessarily a bad thing.

Own it, fix it.

Implement a communications strategy to keep customers, stakeholders, and employees informed of everything that is known. Being up-front and honest is critical. Mitigate issues early on. Wells Fargo failed on all counts. It failed to apologize soon enough and underestimated the gravity of the situation and problem.

If your own company falters, fails or makes a mistake, don’t keep your mouth shut. Own it. Apologize for it. And take steps to make it right, quickly.

Ask for help when you need it.

An outside perspective can provide clarity and remove the emotion or opinion from a crisis. Consider hiring a consultant or third-party expert who can guide you through or speak to media and customers. I’ve worked with CEOs and chief legal counsel who wanted to take the hard line or let their emotions or opinions get in the way of ensuring the company response was quick and contained the right sentiment and messaging.

In contrast, a communications expert has navigated issues like this before and can offer credibility, experience and expertise you may not have within your company.

Above all, the biggest mistake you can make in a crisis situation is doing nothing. Be prepared, work the plan, respond quickly and take appropriate action — lead. Your customers and your team may even thank you for it.

Entrepreneur.com | October 28, 2016 | Jeffrey Hayzlett

#Leadership : Three Ways To Turn Around A Team In Turmoil…At times of Crisis, Leaders have a Tendency to Batten Down the Hatches, Bark Orders, and Assign Blame. Those are All Bad Moves.

October 14, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

When your team is in trouble, it may seem like any way out is a good way out. It often isn’t. Taking a team in the right direction is crucial at any time, but when the pressure is high and things aren’t going well, getting everyone back on track is especially difficult.

Here are a few ways to do that, without falling prey to the common mistakes managers often make when trying to set things aright.

1. LOOK AT PROCESS, NOT JUST PEOPLE

When something goes wrong, too many leaders seek to blame others—it’s an understandable instinct. First reactions in crisis situations are often about sorting out what went wrong and assigning fault. And to be sure, sometimes it really is a person or group of people who screwed up. But often it’s the systems or processes they work within that’s enabled their missteps.

It helps to zoom out a bit before pointing fingers. Take these steps right away:

Closely examine your current strategy. How well was your team executing it before things went awry? What changed? Consider those execution methods from the perspective of your current situation to determine whether changing circumstances have made them less effective.
Next, analyze the impact of the work of your team, partners, and customers. Where did the results start slipping or sales begin to fall off?
Finally, evaluate your present capabilities. Despite the bad turn, what’s your current capacity to execute? What assets and resources do you still have at your command to try something new?

This assessment of your processes should make it easier to take a fresh look at your team’s or company’s strategy, so you can make decisions about how to move forward that aren’t based on personalities or office politics. Usually if there’s turmoil, it means that there’s a part of your process that hasn’t worked as intended for longer than you’d realized. But you need to pin that down before making rash choices. When decisions are made in haste without understanding their full impact, even the most effective leaders fail to get their teams back on track.

In 2009, Ed Whitacre was appointed as the chairman of General Motors when it was on the verge of bankruptcy. He immediately combined GM’s sales and marketing organization under one leader—a hasty decision that turned out to be wrong. A few months later, GM had to split up sales and marketing again.

As Bloomberg reported, “Whitacre realized that all of the change had rattled the workforce, so he sent a companywide email: ‘A smart company changes and adapts to the needs of the business. So, while there will always be individual moves within GM, I want to reassure you that the major leadership changes are behind us.'” It took a lot more than his email to reassure Whitacre’s team, but ultimately, under his direction, the company went on to an enormous, $20-billion IPO under his direction.

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2. REVISIT YOUR SHARED PURPOSE—AND DON’T BE AFRAID TO CHANGE IT

When we find some common reasons to be optimistic, we’re often able to channel that positive energy into finding a solution. Morale sinks when things go wrong, so it’s essential to reinvest in a shared purpose before moving ahead. Many leaders already know they need to emphasize their team’s shared vision in times of turmoil, but few do it the right way. You need to explain in concrete, practical terms how the changes underway tie into your company’s redefined objectives—what new steps need to be taken, and how those steps should be executed.

After all, sometimes your sense of purpose does need redefining. It may be that a pivot is exactly what the doctor ordered. It might actually be a bad idea to return to underscoring your core vision if that vision has steered you wrong. In the rush to blame “bad apples,” this is something struggling companies tend to miss.

Instead, effective leaders re-instill self-worth in their teams by making them feel good about the urgency that the task at hand requires of them. Get comfortable with the reality that in the face of crisis, the future is often hazy—then ask your team to embrace that uncertainty, too, showing how confident you are that they can pull it off. Leaders don’t necessarily need to singlehandedly push their organizations in a new direction, just keep a steady ship as the crew does the steering together.

3. START EXPERIMENTING AND DELEGATING RESPONSIBILITIES

Change may or may not be woven into the fabric of your company culture, but sometimes circumstances require it. Whatever the case, it can be a good thing. People often learn more about each other when they have to change together. And a crisis is arguably the best time to instill this team-building attitude. This way, when turmoil hits next time, your organization will be better equipped to carry itself through.

To do that, leaders may need to do theopposite of what they’re used to doing during tough times; instead of buckling down, handing out directives, and showing “strong” leadership, it may be better to start experimenting and giving others more responsibility, not less.

After all, the worst thing you can do is fall back on the old ways of working—the ones that got you into this pickle in the first place. It’s often at the edge of a crisis where the most innovative solutions are found. When things are going well, innovation tends to offer incremental benefits, but when we need to make wholesale changes fast, the ability to experiment can sometimes transform even the most dire situations.

But in those situations, leadership usually doesn’t come from just one person. Leaders and managers may not be in best positions to see the disruptive parts of the puzzle themselves. If every team member is encouraged to speak up and has the authority to take on their own portion of problem-solving themselves, the solution can be all the more robust.

When a team owns the route out of the quagmire, they’ll be better experienced at climbing out of the next one they stumble into.

Serial entrepreneur Faisal Hoque is the founder of Shadoka, which enables entrepreneurship, growth, and social impact. He is the author of Everything Connects: How to Transform and Lead in the Age of Creativity, Innovation, and Sustainability (McGraw-Hill) and other books. Use the Everything Connects leadership app for free.

FastCompany.com | FAISAL HOQUE | 10.14.16 5:00 AM

#Leadership : Conquering The 3 Most Common Types Of Company Crisis…As one Entrepreneur explains, “Crisis Management” Isn’t a Monolithic Process or a Skill that Suits every Situation.

August 13, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Sooner or later, no matter their size, location, or industry, all companies face some sort of crisis. The trouble, though, is that we often talk about “crisis management” like it’s a single skill or process: You have it or you don’t; you do it right or you totally mess it up.

But that isn’t the case at all, and the effects of this misunderstanding aren’t hard to see. Researchers at the University of Michigan and Emory University reviewed the data and found (unsurprisingly) that mismanaged crises often resulted from unprepared leadership teams and led to a wide range of long-term consequences, whereas companies that handled crisis effectively managed to recover fully and quickly.

Here’s a basic yet underappreciated taxonomy of business crises and a look at what it takes to weather them.

THREE TYPES OF CRISIS

1. Personnel crisis. This is when there’s serious individual misconduct and unethical or illegal activities by key players. The sexual harassment scandal that’s rocking Fox News right now, centered around founder and CEO Roger Ailes, is a flagrant example of this type of crisis. It not only reflects Ailes’s alleged personal conduct but the culture of the organization he led.

Even if some decisions involve the most basic of gut instincts, leaders navigating crises need to tell their teams precisely what they want, when, and why.

Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn is under investigation for alleged market manipulation related to his involvement in the company’s emissions scandal, which began to unfold in 2014, alongside other VW board members. The company has already admitted to secretly installing software in some 11 million vehicles in order to pass emissions tests, a violation that investigators now appear to suspect may have been mismanaged (or even started) among top leaders.

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2. Systemic crises. Chipotle is still fighting its way back from a string of customer food poisoning incidents in late 2015. The company is finally back to in the black but still struggling to right itself. Chipotle’s failures were a matter of systemic operational crises up and down the organization—from its supply chain and quality control to customer interactions.

3. Contextual crises. Brexit, mass shootings, terrorism: From local incidents all the way on up through geopolitical upheavals, businesses can wake up one morning and suddenly have to navigate a variety of crises they couldn’t have seen coming. This type of crisis originates externally but dramatically changes the context in which a company operates. It creates psychological turmoil and unsteadies employees and customers alike.

Professor Peter Senge of MIT’s Sloan School of Management once wrote:

Leadership exists when people are no longer victims of circumstances but participate in creating new circumstances . . . Leadership is about creating a domain in which human beings continually deepen their understanding of reality and become more capable of participating in the unfolding of the world. Ultimately, leadership is about creating new realities.

That’s a high bar to clear—especially during a crisis. But if leaders grasp that their job is already about creating new circumstances, then sudden changes of fortune (even for the worse) may not actually seem so anomalous or frightening after all. You can’t set an action plan for every possible contingency, but you don’t have to. Here are two steps for navigating a crisis whose specifics you can never anticipate.

1. START WITH YOURSELF, THEN WORK OUTWARD

Managing crisis means accepting incredible levels of uncertainty with a calm, cool, and positive attitude. That’s never easy. But the sense of urgency to tackle tough situations always requires an even temper.

In order to communicate a decisive yet flexible plan as soon as crisis hits, you’ll need to assess the situation effectively:

Ask yourself: What does this situation demand? Is it a personnel crisis, a systemic crisis, or a contextual one?
Then craft an immediate-term response strategy based on how you want to emerge from this crisis at the end—even if you don’t know exactly how you’ll get there—and communicate it to your team, partners, and customers.
Finally, as you begin rolling out that strategy, keep an eye on ability (your own and your organization’s) to execute it based on how the crisis evolves (and it will!)—without losing sight of your company’s assets, structure, and capabilities.

Sound like a lot to handle? To be fair, it is. In 2014, Mary Barra became General Motors’s (GM) first female CEO. After only two months in the role, GM had to recall 1.7 million cars with an ignition switch defect that was responsible for more than a dozen deaths—a clear-cut systemic crisis, with possible reverberations at the personnel level.

Barra snapped into action. She personally went on a media tour and apologized for GM’s grave mistake. As the New York Times reported, “It was a moment unlike any other at General Motors: The top executive stepping—personally and publicly—into the middle of one of the gravest safety problems in the company’s history. Her performance was a marked departure from the norm in the auto industry, where corporate chiefs routinely avoid talking about recalls unless subpoenaed by Congress.”

After assessing the situation, Barra took personal responsibility for dealing with GM’s crisis head on, preventing a systemic crisis from spiraling into an irrecoverable PR disaster and a failure of leadership to boot.

2. INFLUENCE OTHERS, THEN LET THEM INFLUENCE YOU

Successful leaders inspire and influence everyone in good times and bad—their executive team, employees, customers, clients, partners, investors, and many others. That’s also part of the job description. Even if some decisions involve the most basic of gut instincts, leaders navigating crises need to tell their teams precisely what they want, when, and why—then help them make it happen. Waiting too long to weigh countervailing opinions can spell doom.

Here’s what David Roberts, chairman of Nationwide Building Society, said immediately after the Brexit vote:

Britain has always been at its best at times of high uncertainty and volatility. There are important decisions coming, but for the next few days, weeks, and months, we all have a responsibility to work through the issues in a calm, thoughtful, and positive manner. Despite the naysayers, the economy will continue to function effectively; customers will still need to save, borrow, and invest, and we will all continue to be there for them as we were yesterday and in the weeks past.

Roberts didn’t resort to abstraction even while working to calm fears; he concisely describes what the U.K. economy’s goals must be and which consumers’ needs remain unchanged. It’s inspiring talk amid a contextual crisis, but it’s also marching orders of a sort—here’s what we all need to do next—reflecting Senge’s goal of helping people “become more capable of participating in the unfolding of the world.”

Communicating effectively in times of uncertainty means not just articulating your point of view, but listening actively—without bias or judgment and with a real willingness to consider different perspectives. Roberts acknowledges this, too, when he notes a shared responsibility for navigating the issues collaboratively.

That means paying heed not just to the content of others’ ideas, but to their emotional tone, too. Both are crucial for mutual understanding—and, ultimately, everyone getting back on their feet.

FAISAL HOQUE 08.12.16 5:00 AM

FastCompany.com

#Leadership : You Have 15 Minutes To Respond To A Crisis: A Checklist of Do’s & Don’ts…When a Crisis Hits, How you Respond in the First 15 Minutes can Make or Break your Organization – & your Reputation.

August 6, 2015/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

If you Can Do the First 15 Minutes of a Crisis Right, you Are on Your Way to Finding Solutions, Fixing the Problems, & Repairing & Recovering From the Damage. Do them Wrong, & you will be Dealing with Damage Control not Only for the Crisis, but for Your Early Mistakes, for a Long, Long Time to Come.

While we all know that crisis management training is critical for leaders and boards today, much of it still tends to be shopworn, focusing on the lessons of yesterday. The new climate of ultra urgency is rarely emphasized sufficiently.

Yet I have found that in those first 15 minutes of a crisis your response must be exactly the right message, delivered in exactly the right words, to the right audiences, in just the right way – or you will have to deal with your mistakes for days, weeks, even months to come.

Immediate response and indelible accountability – that’s a tall order for any leader.

Yesterday We Had The Luxury of Time

It used to be standard to have until the end of day to get back to a press or customer inquiry about most crises. Even if the call was from a television network or local station, you could put off any interview until mid-afternoon. Then you might be able to respond by phone, or in a well-choreographed interview, in front of a backdrop of your choosing, to be aired on the nightly news.

Even in the iconic Tylenol crisis case – still considered by corporate execs as a best practice in crisis management – it took the company three days to decide to remove all bottles of Tylenol from store shelves, after several people were killed by taking cyanide-laced capsules from unsealed bottles. And that was deemed fast work.

Today Immediacy Is Key

When news is transmitted around the globe in a nanosecond over social media, featuring real-time pictures and videos, there is little to no time to position, posture, or even understand the facts before you are pressed to make a statement.

Because, if you do not speak for yourself quickly, or if you do so poorly, someone else – antagonist, police, government, competitor, or anonymous hater – will speak for you. And in the world of public perception, the first mover has the advantage.

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What Is A Leader To Do?

Clearly the first 15 minutes after you learn of a crisis are just the beginning of what could be a very long haul. Lawyers whisper in one ear, “Say nothing, make no comment until we evaluate all the facts, and our liability.” Crisis managers like me urge swift action, to get out ahead of the problem, or at least keep apace. And at the same time, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Reddit feeds are lighting up second-by-second with photos, interviews, information and misinformation you have never seen before.

The “First 15 Minutes” Crisis Management Checklist

The critical element turns out to be how to fit a day’s worth of activity into 15 minutes.

Following is my list for leaders of “Do’s” and “Don’ts” in the first 15 minutes of any crisis – be it predictable or black swan – from the minute you hear about a problem to the moment you make your first statement. It does not cover the crisis preparedness work you should have already done (that’s another list), nor the entire arc of crisis activities you will be engaged in starting from the 16^th minute until resolution and recovery. But it’s a place for leaders to start when crisis hits:

Crisis Management Checklist

DO:

Resolve to become the trusted voice in this crisis – the person and organization that people turn to for the truth and solutions.
Stop whatever you are doing and calmly, but immediately, turn your full attention to the matter at hand. This may seem obvious, but it is surprising how many leaders cannot disengage from what they were doing when a crisis hits.
Pull the trigger on your crisis plan if you have one (these steps should all be in that plan, of course).
Alert your crisis team (assuming you have already designated one, and if not, your management team) immediately, and assemble them in person or virtually in an hour.
Assess what you must do yourself and what you can delegate in the specific situation. Begin to delegate with urgency.
Immediately designate trusted lieutenants to find out the facts – their first reports to be made in seven minutes.
Designate another trusted lieutenant to connect with law enforcement, or other critical parties involved in the situation.
Monitor in real-time what is being said on social and traditional media – sometimes Twitter tells you more in real-time than any other source. You need to know what is out there already so you can begin to set the record straight.
Try to understand the scope of the issue as you know it and the critical decisions that must be made immediately.
Draft an initial “holding statement” with the help of your head of communications, crisis manager, and/or legal counsel. This is a statement you can issue immediately. It should state what, if anything, you believe you know, with the caveat that these are early impressions that may not be totally correct. Reinforce that you are committed to finding out as much as you can immediately, and that you will stay in touch with your audiences continually, as you know more.
Think through every word: under stress you can say the wrong thing, your words may be misinterpreted, or you can say too little or too much.
Depending upon the magnitude and kind of crisis, issue your holding statement to waiting print and broadcast media, over the wire, by email, and post it on your website, intranet, and social media feeds, etc.
Match your communications to the issue: seek to neither under- nor over-communicate.
Show humanity, compassion, and concern for any human toll – and mean it. Make people your first priority.
Make sure to correct any errors of fact that are already public. Try not to speak personally to the media or hold a press conference immediately. Get some solid facts before you do.
Contact your employees, board, shareholders, and other key audiences at the same time – or just before you communicate to the media – sharing with them your public statements.
If appropriate, video a quick personal statement from the CEO or other leader that is steady, strong, compassionate, and solution-driven. It can go on your intranet, emergency communications system, and even your website.
Resolve to follow up on everything you have promised to do; revise your estimates as you get more knowledge.
Begin the process of triage, discovery, communication, solution, accountability, and recovery.

DON’T

Don’t lie – your first words will be long remembered, as will be your tone and intent. Scrutiny is at a peak in the first moments of a crisis, and your comments may go viral – among your employees, shareholders and regulators, as well as over social media.
Don’t disappear. As tempting as it might be to go underground until the storm passes, your voice, presence, and guidance are needed, especially by your workforce.
Don’t issue a denial until you have all the facts. If you issue a denial and are then proven to be wrong, your credibility is shot for the duration.
Don’t minimize the situation. Things tend to look more contained at the outset of a crisis than they do as it unfolds. Minimizing may feel like the right strategy initially, but it is not. Rather, say “We do not yet know the magnitude of the problem, but are working furiously to find out.”
Do NOT make a joke. You must be serious and respectful as a crisis unfolds. One of the biggest signs of respect you can give someone is to pay attention to their claims, upfront, even if they are later disproved.
Do not say “We are taking the matter seriously,” even though you are. No one believes this reflexive statement. In fact, it has come to mean the exact opposite. Figure out another way to phrase the sentiment.
Don’t repeat the problem or accusation when delivering your statement – make the statement proactive and put it in positive, but not Pollyanna-like language.
Don’t let your fears of liability trump your humanity. Compassion and kindness are critical.
Don’t speculate until you fully understand the situation.
Don’t get drawn into interminable series of internal meetings and think you are making progress when you are not – focus both inwardly and outwardly, simultaneously.

To Sum Up

If you can do the first 15 minutes of a crisis right, you are on your way to finding solutions, fixing the problems, and repairing and recovering from the damage. Do them wrong, and you will be dealing with damage control not only for the crisis, but for your early mistakes, for a long, long time to come.

Leadership & crisis expert Davia Temin, CEO of Temin & Co, helps create, enhance & save reputations at board & executive levels & coaches CEOs & leaders. Twitter: @DaviaTemin

Forbes.com | August 6, 2015 | Davia Temin