The Center’s Workgroups are optimistic they can help people stay optimistic
Best practice question: How can you build optimism in your organization during the pandemic?
Developed by:
- Vicki Holschuh
- Steve Johannsen
- Susan Dineen
- Kevin Hickman
- Bill Mitchell
- Nathan Bares
- Derrick Van Mell
The three discussion questions
- How do you provide everyone reassurance?
- How do you create exciting new ideas?
- How do you maintain your own energy and sanity?
How do you provide everyone reassurance?
- Be honest: Tell people the truth about what’s happening
- Stick to the facts: Facts are emotionally neutral and should speak for themselves
- Get ahead of gossip: If you don’t provide the facts, people will make them up
- Cadence: Communicate often on a schedule and stick to it
- Embrace The Stockdale Paradox: Face reality and maintaining your aspiration
- Don’t cut corners: You’re under a brighter spotlight, so lapses will be seen as large
- Be consistent: Create talking points for executives and the board
- Know your audiences: Anticipate what kind of information each audience will hear
- Take the long view: Remind people about what hasn’t changed
How do you create exciting new ideas?
- Start with your mission, your calling, your Why
- Seek ideas out: Ask, “Where are the opportunities in this crisis?”
- Accept them: Leaders need to be open to ideas, even during a crisis
- Smaller, shorter and fewer meetings: “White space” among meetings lets ideas germinate
- Be quick: Good ideas usually emerge in the first 5 or 10 minutes of a meeting
- Throw out the manual: Let everyone know it’s time to reinvent
- Start small: Take innovation in small steps. Don’t aim for a breakthrough
- Experiment often: The best time to change things is when things are changing
How do you maintain your own energy and sanity?
- Stay fit: Regular exercise, eat well, sleep. You know you should
- Have a hobby: Put your concentration elsewhere
- Celebrate incremental successes: Don’t let your positivity fall below zero
- Be grateful: Things could be worse and remember that nothing lasts forever
- Be proud of enduring: Facing a crisis makes you a better person
- Show appreciation of others: Not just what they do, but who the underlying talent