You, causing harm by reacting to ...

You, causing harm by reacting to ...

by Dirk Depré,  September 1, 2022

You, as a leader, bear the responsibility of creating an environment in which your team members can be themselves. Hyper-aligned, motivated, and knowing a clear goal they collectively want to work towards. And to create that environment, it naturally starts with exhibiting this behavior yourself: people follow their leaders, right?

Now, there will be things happening around you that impact you as a leader. Things that might make you waver or feel uncertain, for example, because a major change is coming. That's exactly when your team needs leadership, someone to guide them through the change, for instance. Because you're shaken, this naturally impacts your emotions, which in turn affect your possible reaction. The hardest part is to take the situation as it is and do something positive with it.

Acknowledging that you still have an emotional charge within yourself is step 1. As long as it's there, it's best to find a way to get rid of it. Step 2 is turning the situation into something positive. This can also be done by not reacting or by finding a way that makes a positive contribution.