It could be argued that those who are leading in this current COVID-19 pandemic are seeking to provide leadership in a time of unprecedented negativity. For most of us, we are being exposed to one negative news report after another. In addition, many of the conversations we are having on a personal level with family members, colleagues and friends are also filled with excessive amounts of negativity and pessimism. Too many leaders, organizations, teams and individuals are making the mistake of negatively focusing upon things that we have little or no control or influence over. This is a time for leaders to strategically influence their people to positively focus on the things that they do have influence and control over, rather than getting paralyzed, and becoming unproductive, focusing on the things they have little or no influence over.
Leadership has always been about inspiring people to be positive in negative times. This does not mean that leaders live in denial about reality, or that they seek to invite their followers to ignore, minimize, or to overlook reality for what it is. Leaders will always be asked to lead in times of crisis, adversity, hardship and tragedy. What separates excellent leaders from mediocre leaders is the fact that excellent leaders bring solutions, optimism and hope to their followers regardless of the nature and size of the challenges and obstacles they encounter. This crisis has disrupted every single realm of our lives, including the marketplace, leading to the loss of millions of jobs, and a state of confusion, disorientation and panic in the lives of many. The practical bottom-line result in many organizations is that too many people are choosing to negatively focus upon things they can’t control instead of focusing upon the things they can control.
What is the solution to this present dilemma? In a word the answer is leadership! Leaders must be intentional about staying positive, and cultivating positivity in their people by insuring that their people are focused on the things they can control and influence, rather than the things they can’t control or influence. One of the distinctive traits of exceptional leadership is proactive leadership, where a leader is value-driven with a strong sense of purpose and direction. Those who lead proactively assume personal responsibility for their choices, and remain positive and solutions-oriented, regardless of the obstacles that confront them.
Unfortunately, those who focus on the things they can’t control, which many are choosing to do in this crisis, leads them to live in a reactive rather than a proactive state. A reactive approach to life, especially in a crisis, will ultimately lead to negativity and victimization. This results in human beings living in a disempowered state, which promotes excuse-making, finger-pointing and an unwillingness to be held accountable for one’s life and performance. As leaders, we must influence our people to focus on the things that they can control and influence.
What are the fundamental things we have control and influence over even in the midst of the present challenges we are all facing? We can all control whether we come to work to work. We can all control whether we are going to choose negative or positive attitudes. We can all control whether we are going to be solutions-oriented or problems-oriented. We can all control whether we are going to value other human beings, while choosing to treat them with respect. We can all control whether we are going to live in a world of accountability or excuse-making. We can all control whether we are going to stay positive in negative times or not. That choice is ours!
