Leadership under Pressure

In my last blog I suggested that the when of leadership was key. I'd like to explore a little more what happens to leadership skills when leaders are under pressure.

Think about how you react under pressure. What happens to those around you? What do your team members do? Do any of these responses sound familiar?

• Does the charm adopt a nasty edge?
• Does being authoritative turn into bullying?
• Is there avoidance?
• An inauthentic acquiescence?

When faced with all sorts of pressures it seems that the instinctive human response often does not bring out our best features. The base "fight or flight@ instinct is strong and whilst in organisations this is usually (hopefully) a metaphorical expression this does not make the impact any less.

So what is happening to us, as leaders, when we are in this situation? When we feel so under pressure and threatened that we revert to our survival brain? The main response is that we stop listening. Sometimes almost literally our ability to hear is lost. And certainly our ability to do any critical analysis, to learn and to act on that learning.

And of course the irony is that in a pressure situation is when you need to most be aware of the learning around you, connected with your colleagues and team mates and pro-actively turning the learning and connections in action to move things forward.

The When of Leadership

Have you ever thought about what is the most important element that makes a great leader? And I'm not necessarily talking about national or international leaders but maybe you, or your boss. A lot of time, thought and energy is given over to the what, the how and even the why of leadership. All of which are very important. But I'd like you to consider that the most important part of leadership is the 'when'.

Everyone can be a great leader when things are going well. But it's what happens to those leadership skills or attributes when things aren't going so well that really show if someone has got this leadership thing sussed - or not.

Ban Work / Life Balance

I would love to never hear this expressions again. Ever.

I'm sure the original intention behind the expression was all good. If nothing else, it encouraged emloyers to view their employees in a wider context and to take into account that they were human beings with more going on in their lives than work. This was undoubtedly a positive step forward.

So, why does it bother me so much? Why do I feel the need to get right up on my high horse every time I hear it? I think that it has now taken on a life of its own and creates as many issues as it addresses.

Someone once said to me, you should always give yourself 3 choices as if you only have 2 you are giving yourself a dilemma. By talking about "work/life balance" you are creating a dichotomy and so giving yourself a dilemma.

The 2 things are put into conflict with each other and it becomes a choice between work or life. Impossible and unrealistic.

Also, it doesn't allow any space for the recognition that for a lot (the majority?) of people work is not simply an economic necessity. For many, work gives us a lot more than money - identity, interactions, social elements and an opportunity for self expression and self actualisation.

I believe it is more helpful instead to talk about "Life Balance" - of which work is one element. This allows for a systems view of life which recognises the impacts that the various elements have on each other. When viewed in this way it is harder to put work into a box and pretend that decisions made there (hours worked, location, behaviours, etc) don't have an impact elsewhere in one's life - for example, in our home lives, or with our families. And vice versa.

So think about your Life Balance - all the elements of your life (work, family, relationships, health, etc) - and achieve real balance.