Coaching and Connection
I’m doing a lot of management coaching these days. The conversation has been starting pretty similarly each session: “So...how are you doing?” “Um, okay...this is pretty bizarre...how are you doing?”
I always spend a fair bit of time at the beginning of sessions, trying to practice what I preach to newer managers: “when you ask someone on your team how they’re doing...actually listen and wait for the answer.”
In the wake of COVID-19, I’m going slower, even more intentionally. After checking in, we’ll pivot to their topical challenges (“um, I guess we’re canceling our conference...it’s the one time a year we actually get together in real life...how should we message it? What can we do instead?”). Sometimes there’s swearing (from both of us!), sometimes there’s silence and I do my best to hold the space. Then maybe, just maybe, we go back to the coaching plan that we developed out of their strengths or weaknesses that they’ve identified or that we’ve put together from surveys and other data.
One of my clients affectionately calls what I do “management therapy.” And that description couldn’t be more apt for the time we’re living in. Leaders and managers of all stripes and industries are grappling with the realities of COVID-19 for their people and organizations. They’re dealing with uncertain futures, revenue anxiety, newly work-from-home teams, a lack of childcare as schools close, and so much more.
Our therapists, should we be privileged enough to have them, often help us with our personal lives but how many of us have support when it comes to the immense pressure we’re under as organizational leaders? Our teams spend most of their waking hours working. And they’re looking to us for guidance, especially in the wake of conflicting guidance from our political leaders. Like it or not, we’re often the ones looked to for guidance.
We’re struggling with questions big and small:
What kind of tone should I be setting when it comes to internal communication about COVID-19?
How do I balance business needs with safety and comfort concerns?
How can I support my staff who are disproportionately affected -- parents, older folks, immuno-compromised people, staff from already-marginalized identities feeling an increase in xenophobia, racism and bias?
How can I create real connection between individuals and teams for workforces that are not accustomed to distributed or virtual work?
How do I balance productivity with “giving people a break” during this adjustment and anxiety-ridden period?
What can I do to plan for a potential recession?
How can I support my people managers who are on the front line with our staff?
How do I take care of myself so I can take care of the team?
There are no magic bullets for these questions, but now is the time for leaders to seek support. There are tons of free and low-cost resources out there (subscribe to our newsletter for more). Now is also a great time for peer-support. Talk to other leaders in your space -- set up a weekly zoom or phone call to check-in. And if you’re interested in 1:1 coaching, let us know. Above all, let’s keep talking to each other.