The Steady Phase: Assure Personal and Professional Safety

When confronted with a crisis, some less-experienced leaders may be overwhelmed with the number of dangers and the depth of risk they suddenly confront. It is natural to be fearful in such situations, but the key is to avoid panic by systematically addressing the most urgent needs first.

We call this the Steady stage, the point at which a leader must quickly find your bearings, move quickly to assure your own personal and professional safety, and set aside everything else. This is the moment to get the support you need, so you have the energy and resilience to support others. This isn’t selfishness; it’s appropriate to start with yourself. It is akin to the moment on an airplane safety video when passengers are urged to secure their own oxygen masks first before assisting others.

As the leader, all eyes will be on you. So be intentional about your presence, what you notice, what your share, and what you withhold. Model the approach you hope to see from others. Everyone is struggling to do good and do well (and we’ll all fall short in these difficult times) so prioritize empathy and compassion for yourself and your colleagues.

Support your team by quickly addressing their psychological, emotional, and practical concerns, but don’t try to do it all yourself. Establish peer networks and peer coaching so your people can support one another through whatever they are confronting.

As you start to look outward, share responsibility by inviting your team to revisit its charter and what needs to be done right now, and make particular note of what tasks or challenges continue to energize them. Work together to draw data from a variety of sources so you can develop a compelling picture of your current environment. Since no individual (including you) will have an accurate and dependable view of the situation or the road ahead, encourage dissent, honor diverse perspectives, and stay open to the unexpected. The new picture of the world that you’re developing doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be just “good enough.”

By assuring the personal and professional safety of the leader, the team, and the organization, you can steady yourself and those around you. It’s a critical moment for any leader, and a chance to lay a solid foundation for whatever is to come.