#Balancing caution optimism how to
#Balancing caution optimism series

it keeps energy levels high and positive even in a crisis environment. Boyatzis and Annie McKee, Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others Through Mindfulness, Hope, and Compassion, Brighton, MA: Harvard Business Review Press October 2005. Stress can be good if you harness and frame it constructively 6 Reframing a threat as an opportunity for learning and innovation turns an uncertain situation into one of hope and possibility.

#Balancing caution optimism how to

How to Pivot Toward What Matters, Avery, August 2019. A leader who is deliberately calm realizes that fear, channeled from uncomfortable facts or emotions, offers potentially valuable information and so doesn’t get unhinged by it. These folks become comfortable with discomfort and can look at adversity through a new lens. Then they can step back from a fraught or high-stakes situation and choose how to respond, rather than reacting instinctively. In crisis situations, leaders must make a deliberate choice to practice a calm state of mind. (Jump to the six practices here.) Deliberate calm: how to steer into the storm Khalsa et al., “Interoception and mental health: A roadmap,” Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Elsevier, 2018, Volume 3, Issue 6, pp. Not only will this practice lead to increased effectiveness but it is also essential to managing personal health and energy over a longer period of time. When they do that, instinctive biological reactions will start working for them and not against them. Giving them the tools to lead with deliberate calm and bounded optimism. Developing integrative awareness helps leaders recognize these stress responses as opportunities to pause and reflect before acting, 3Īrmita Golkar et al., “Distinct contributions of the dorsolateral prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex during emotion regulation,” PloS One, November 7, 2012, Volume 7, Number 11,. In a crisis of uncertainty, this process helps leaders avoid overreacting to challenges or jumping to conclusions just to stop feeling uncomfortable. Norman Farb et al., “Interoception, contemplative practice, and health,” Frontiers in Psychology, June 9, 2015, Volume 6, Article 763, .Įffectively connecting situational awareness with self-awareness, our outer world with our inner, is what we call integrative awareness. Concepts in neuroscience that are closely related to this are “exteroception” (sensitivity to stimuli originating outside of the body) and “interoception” (sensitivity to stimuli originating inside the body). This requires awareness of what happens in the outside world (facts on the ground) and in the inside world (body and mind). In a crisis, leaders must continuously process large amounts of complex information, contradictory views, and strong emotions. Please email us at: Leading and learning outside your comfort zone If you would like information about this content we will be happy to work with you. We strive to provide individuals with disabilities equal access to our website. This intentional practice allows leaders to shift from viewing challenges as roadblocks to seeing them as problems to be solved, and even learned from. To stay calm and optimistic while under such pressure, leaders should practice what we call integrative awareness: being aware of the changing reality in the outside world and how they are responding emotionally and physically. Here we focus on leaders themselves, and how they can prepare themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally to respond to the pandemic through the months ahead. We’ve written about how leaders can shift their organizations to a crisis footing, from launching nerve centers to creating networks of teams. DeSmet, Ethan Kross, and Walter Mischel, “Self-regulation in the service of conflict resolution,” The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2006, p.

#Balancing caution optimism series

Porges, The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, Self-regulation, Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology, New York, NY: W. Those who can visibly demonstrate these qualities help their organizations feel a sense of purpose, giving them hope that they can face the challenges ahead.īut that is hard to do in a crisis, since humans are biologically wired to have a stress response (fight, flight, or freeze) when confronted with volatile environments, unpredictable events, and constant stress. To address these needs, leaders should act with deliberate calm and bounded optimism. Business leaders can underestimate how much their employees look to them for information. What’s more, people seek community and safety.