Dear Readers, do you remember last December when we were all hopeful that 2020 would be the beginning of a great new decade? Oh, how wrong we were to look ahead to the next decade! If there is a lesson to take away from this global pandemic, Dear Readers, it’s that the adage “tomorrow is a promised to no one” still holds. Consequently, Dear Readers, should we not solely focus on surviving 2020 for the time being? Indeed, we are still living with a significant threat to our health as ramblings about a second wave in the fall are getting louder. Many have faced the unexpected loss of loved ones or jobs. Furthermore, we are still experiencing the loss of the freedom to go as we please with interminable lockdowns dictating the size or even the location of our social gatherings. To make matters worse, US cases of anxiety and depression have tripled during the COVID-19 pandemic. How are you supposed to work given theses disastrous conditions? As a matter of fact, how can a supervisor keep his/her team productive amid so much widespread angst?
Welcome, Dear Readers! The JMS team is back with valuable insights that will inspire you to be fearless in the pursuit of your dreams. If it’s your first time here, the JMS team is thrilled you decided to stop by the blog today! FYI, JMS is a consulting firm located in Philadelphia that advises people and organizations on how to manage crises with efficiency. To that end, the JMS team is in the business of designing recovery plans as robust as possible that avoid behavioral and financial paralysis. Therefore, Dear Readers, this blog will help you make sense of these unprecedented times without feeling devoid of motivation and utterly defeated. You got this, Dear Readers, and don’t you ever forget it!
Dear Readers, this blog has written extensively on the subject of resilience. Specifically, this blog made the case that resilience is the key to face any crisis effectively. Today, however, this blog is bringing you the three signs to look out for when evaluating whether a supervisor is cultivating the resilience necessary to pull the team or department forward despite the unprecedented challenges the coronavirus has brought. To help illustrate each indicator, the JMS team asked Lisa (a ten-year executive working for a Fortune 500 company here in Philadelphia) to share with you the work she has accomplished thanks to the JMS resilience framework. Remember that, like many of us, Lisa struggled to adapt to life after COVID-19, as personal and professional lives appeared to be on a collision course earlier in the summer. She came to JMS to learn how to be a more effective leader and cultivate resilience both at home and at work.
ONE: Maintain the lines of communication as open as possible.
The JMS team believes that the only way to get through a crisis at work is to discuss the matter openly and as often as necessary. The work from home (WFH) model has certainly made it even more challenging to keep communication as fluid as necessary since most people feel more comfortable voicing concerns in informal settings such as quick face to face exchanges. It was certainly the case for Lisa’s 5-person team of competitive supervisors. Therefore, the JMS team reworked her workflow to include assigned daily morning zoom calls to each direct report, and two weekly team zoom calls. Yes, that’s a lot of calls, but it allows Lisa to connect with each member of her team and understand the personal COVID-19 related setbacks each one is dealing with to the best of their abilities. And team calls are just as important as they are the best vehicle to protect team alchemy and ensure that productivity remains high as possible.
TWO: Create space to accept and adapt to the new normal.
As human beings, we tend to naturally resist change even though we all know that it is the only constant in our lives. You can imagine, Dear Readers, how many of us were resistant to the assault that this global pandemic made do our most cherished rituals and our way of life. Could you have ever imagined a scenario that gave the president of the United States authority over our daily lives and even forbids us to go to work (unless you were considered an essential worker, of course)?! “Neva in a million years,” said Lisa! Yet, she also recognized that if she wanted to be an effective leader, she needed to find a way to process the thousands of thoughts swirling incessantly in her head and preventing her from focusing work. And if she wasn’t able to be productive, how could she get her team to be more productive? Consequently, the JMS team suggested that she aim to shift away from resistance and adapt with a bit more ease to the new normal with the help of mental health professionals. In doing so, Lisa was able to free her mind enough to be able to listen to the needs of her team and to figure out how to make the WFH model work for each direct report.
THREE: Proactively play a crucial part in the team support system.
Listen, Dear Readers, we all know that being a supervisor is quite challenging because you are responsible for the output of your team. It might feel unfair or overbearing, but it comes with the title! It is thus up to the supervisor to set the tone and be an example, especially in dire circumstances such as a global pandemic. For Lisa, she needed to recreate a support vehicle in the same way that Friday’s happy hour and Wednesday’s lunch have provided a sense of community to her team. In doing so, direct reports continue to experience positive workplace relationships, which translate into more robust team alchemy.
In a social distancing WFH model, however, is that even possible? Yes, it is! The JMS team helped Lisa set up a private yet dynamic Facebook group page. She regularly uploaded a variety of posts ranging from motivational quotes or silly jokes to links to articles that served as professional resources to address a myriad of concerns including but not limited to sleep hygiene, mental health, and career advancement. In a nutshell, Lisa aimed to reproduce the camaraderie the team enjoyed pre-quarantine online. Also, this safe virtual space allowed direct reports to open up about more sensitive challenges such as the real struggle to manage an increasingly demanding workload as the threat of imminent layoffs decimated entire industries so quickly that clients required more than usual follow up.
Thus, Dear Readers, in creating a real support system for her team, Lisa acted as a powerful transformational agent with an incredible reach. Unbeknownst to her, she enabled her team to have the tools to mimic and adopt the same virtual coping strategies to fit the needs of each client. This is definitely is what the JMS team does best and most proud of doing. If you need help scale up the reach of your supervising managers amid a crisis, email us at jms@branding24seven.com for a consultation.
There you have it, Dear Readers! Has this blog convinced you that the key to build resilience in the workplace is for a leader to find the ways and means to develop a reliable support network, especially if operating within the compound of the WFH model? Dear Readers, do you know a better way to cultivate resilience at work? What are you doing to be more resilient during this global pandemic?
Today’s publication concludes the JMS Summer Productivity Series dedicated to helping you get your mojo back and apply proven techniques to whatever coronavirus-related predicament you are currently attempting to resolve. The JMS team would like to thank Lisa for allowing this blog to create an entire series around the work she’s been doing since the beginning of the summer. As a boutique consulting firm, the JMS team feels lucky to have the ability to support clients across industries through any given crisis that rocks their daily operations.
Though the work JMS accomplishes mostly revolve around team dynamics, many participants require more individualized support. Indeed, the JMS team had previously worked with Lisa before being promoted to her current upper management position. Remembering the great work we accomplished for her then regional director two years ago, she called us back to help her navigate these unprecedented times and give her the support she needed to oversee the five supervisors who answer to her.
Your priorities, Dear Readers, are likely to be vastly different from that of our JMS client. Your constraints will put pressure on your time management in a way that could differ from what Lisa has to face. However, Dear Readers, this blog hopes that the series has shown how you too can say goodbye to unbridled anxiety and achieve everything you have ever wanted out of life. With a few strategic choices and a whole lot of resilience, you can increase your productivity exponentially while WFH and amid a global pandemic.
Drop us a line in the comment section below or at jms@branding24seven.com to let us know if you agree with us. The JMS team loves to get mail, so don’t be shy, and feel free to send your letters at 21 S. 11th street 2nd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107.
As always, we thank you for taking the time to read this publication. If it has left you inspired to chase the life of your dreams, please share it on Facebook and LinkedIn with friends, colleagues, and acquaintances!
Catch up with the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth installments of the series in case you’ve missed it!
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