Should You Sell?

When Life Punches you in the Teeth Leading through crisis   I am not resilient.   When life gets hard, I usually do one of two things: I get angry and demonstrative, or I run away. Usually, I do the latter since it generally does less damage. Running away doesn’t mean literally hoofing it down the street and away from my life. Instead, I like to dress it up and call it, “making a change,” then I leave my job or move to a new city or put my children in a different school. Running away can also mean running TO a coping mechanism and abusing it by watching hours of Netflix, drinking copious amounts of coffee, or doom scrolling on social media.   None of these responses are very helpful, as you can imagine. While coping mechanisms are understandable and even beneficial in some circumstances, overusing them will not build resiliency.   Resilience is the ability to adapt and recover quickly from difficulties, trauma, stress and adversity. Luckily, it’s sold in pill form at the local Walgreens for $12.99 so there you go, blog over.   If only that were true.   Resiliency is built over time by being in situations that cause stress, anxiety, and fear, and, instead of running away, learning how to endure and thrive in them. A good leader has built resiliency in his or her own life and can therefore, successfully lead teams through the challenges that cause stress, fear and anxiety.   Tim Hanley is one of those leaders.   Tim successfully led his team of highly skilled accountants through one of the most unprecedented scandals of the century. Tim’s accounting firm, Arthur Andersen, closed its doors in 2001 after being indicted during the Enron Crisis. This left Tim’s team scrambling trying to find new jobs quickly. Instead of letting his good people get cherry-picked by other accounting firms around the city, Tim orchestrated a large scale move for his team to join Deloitte, another accounting firm, successfully saving many jobs and continuing the positive working dynamic that his team had established.   In the face of exorbitant adversity, Tim calmly created unity among his team, communicated the plan, casted vision for a positive change, and delivered on his promises. He was trustworthy, courageous and calm. His team followed him because of it.   On the IOL podcast, he shares a few key tips on how leaders can become more resilient in order to be better leaders:   Find a good mentor or role model: Resiliency doesn’t appear overnight. It comes from learning how to endure challenges while staying calm and leading from a place of confidence and assurance. To grow in this area, it’s important to have a role model—someone who is already doing this so you can see what it looks like. Follow that person’s example, and engage with them about situations, strategies and tactics.   Keep the crisis in perspective: Tim shares on the podcast that his brother was battling cancer during the time that he was fighting to keep his team together. He said that this helped him remember that his job and the jobs of those around him, while important, were not as important as other things in life. Putting the situation into perspective helped Tim stay calm and cool-headed in the face of his team’s strong reactions, reminding them that no matter what, it would be okay.   Be a trustworthy leader: A good leader is a servant-leader, one who thinks of others before himself or herself and who leads with empathy, compassion, and care. A leader who leads this way, quickly builds repertoire with others. In the face of a crisis, this repertoire is the foundation from which a team will follow that trusted leader wherever they may go. If a leader is not trustworthy, team members will be less inclined to follow.     Prioritize mental health in crisis: A leader cannot lead with an empty tank. Especially in times of crisis, a leader needs to take the time that is needed to care for his or her body, mind and soul. This could look like maintaining healthy disciplines, regular exercise and a good diet, or continuing to spend necessary rest time away from work and with family and friends. Spiritual disciplines are also necessary for regular daily life and are needed all the more in times of crisis. Don’t let those go.   I highly encourage you to check out podcast #175. On the podcast Tim shares a second story in which he successfully led a team through an unprecedented crisis, the entire episode is more than worth the listen.   I also want to highlight a few IOL quotes that Patrick shared on the podcast. Consider writing these down and posting them somewhere this week:   “It’s not your fault, but it is your problem.”   “More is caught than taught.”   “We all get punched. How do you react when life hits you in the mouth?”   As always, at IOL we’re here to remind you that you’re not alone. Are you walking through a crisis? In the throes of building that resiliency?  we’re here to help! Reach out! ###   This blog is based on IOL podcast episode #175: Resilience & Servant Leadership Builds Trust with Tim Hanley.   Author: Ashley Buenger 

Don’t Quit I’ve been at this for some time now. As a leader, I have seen the good, bad and ugly. I have led through hard times (ahem, Covid) and high times. I have seen shifts in what works and what doesn’t. I have hired good people and not so good people. I have said goodbye to  employees I thought would stay, and applauded underdog employees as they soared and excelled.   I have learned the things that I’m good at and the things that I’m not. I have made great decisions and major mistakes. I have laughed and cried, danced and grieved. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it and sometimes, wanted to give up completely.   It’s not easy, this leadership thing. Sometimes I feel crazy. Sometimes I feel like I can’t possibly give enough time to both my family and to my job and keep finding time to sleep in the mix. After all of that, after it’s all said and done, I want you to know that it’s worth it.   Thanks to the great leader that my dad was before me, I have witnessed what it looks like to be resilient. He taught me what it looked like to keep going when the odds were not in his favor and when the people around him told him that he would probably fail. He showed me how hard work and staying the course leads to success and how vision and passion are essential.   Today, I am still here. I am still a leader. If I can do it then you can, too. Here are some things I learned along the way:   You Don’t Have to Do it Alone:   I have always needed people around me. My fellow leaders, family and friends have gotten me through the hardest times and my faith has truly anchored me during the storms. When the responsibility of leadership feels large and crushing, I remember to lean on them and ask them for help, for a word of encouragement, a listening ear, advice and sometimes a kick in the butt. Listening to other leaders reminds me that I’m not the only one experiencing leadership challenges. I learn from those who have gone before me and am inspired by those who have continued to lead.   Remember the Vision:   My dad was passionate about providing technology to non-profits and those who couldn’t pay the market rates. His passion carried him through the toughest of times. He had vision for a company that charged significantly lower rates than the competition and could still be successful. He didn’t give up until he had done it. I am thankful for his example. His passion reminds me the reason behind the work that I do, and on the hard days, that’s enough.   Don’t Work Too Hard:   Do work hard, but also laugh. There’s always room for fun. Make sure you don’t staunch other people’s humor or joy. Don’t book your days so full that you don’t have time for a great conversation, or to listen to a joke or to join in when someone is playing a game. Be light-hearted, quick to listen, smile and forgive. Remember not to take yourself or the work too seriously. Remember to see people for who they are and not what they can do. This will create a culture at work that is attractive and successful. It will bleed over into your leadership team and into their lives at home, making a huge different in their lives and your own.   Don’t Quit:   Sometimes the best advice is just to keep going. Get up tomorrow and do it again. Don’t give in to the stress or the negativity. Don’t believe that you can’t do it. Failure is not final if you don’t give up. Expectations might change and the work you are doing might shift. You may need to change your mindset or shift your priorities or take a step back for a season, but don’t stop. Don’t throw in the towel. Other people need you to be a good leader and to persevere when it gets hard. Remember the vision, ask for help, and keep going.   At Impact of Leadership, our goal is to come alongside you to help you grow. We can relate to all that you’re going through. We can help you avoid burnout and give you a place where you feel comfortable, have fun and get your cup filled. We know it’s hard to grow and learn while leading at the same time, so we have lots of resources available to you on the website.   Check out our 164 podcasts and 114 blogs.   Reach out, I’d love to connect with you.   Remember you’re not alone.