When The Virus Of Fear Is Present

It is real! 

Fear is contagious! Calm is also Contagious! 

In light of the widespread impact of coronavirus, it is especially important these days to lean on our individual and collective values to guide our decision-making and actions.

We must be vigilant to our fear system, which quickly gets switched on by our central but primitive brain.

It is the leader's job to do one thing in uncertainty: instil calm, not by force, but by example. 

Here are a few thoughts to consider:

1. We could exercise compassion.

NOW is a difficult time for our human brains. We are flawed and biased, designed through evolution to focus on fear.

Exercising compassion for ourselves, for our feelings, so that we have a chance to change our relationship with the fear, making it less controlling.

Set aside time to worry. Allow ourselves time to work through our thoughts about coronavirus. If we ignore them, they'll continue to persist, so set a timer for 3 minutes for worry journaling, you will find that you'll run out of worries before the timer is up. Once this is complete, shift our attention to self-care and keep our mind busy for what matters.

Exercising compassion for others. Stay away from others if we are unwell.

And don’t write off the people most vulnerable to the virus, understand their position and take action towards helping them, reach out to them! Or at least stopping ourselves from contributing to making things worse.

2. We could exercise self-care.

We can exercise self-care despite the challenges of our world, foster helpful thinking and behaviours that will drive peace and satisfaction internally.

Washing hands properly and cleaning surfaces that we touch a lot, like the phone, are the best defence against a virus.

Prioritize good sleep! While there's still a lot to learn about the new coronavirus, prior research has shown that well-rested people are better at fending off viruses.

Exercise and eat well, our daily exercise can help promote feelings of well-being — and boost our immunity.

Staying informed yet without overdoing it. Limit the amount of information we consume. It's important to be in the know. But we don't need to obsess over the news. "There's a point where, information gathering could become problematic," Unplug! Learn to be in the moment!

3. We could exercise Calm Leadership

In times of chaos, human brains crave for certainty.

Tell your people "We've got this" to replace fear with confidence; Use phrases like ‘one step at a time’, ‘trust the process’, ‘stay the course’, and let people know what the next best action is, to remove the confusion and replace it with certainty.

The job of a leader is to help manage the overload of stressful times. Focus on what we need to do now, what we need to do next, and then. Now, Next, and Then. Leaders triage the priorities for the people so that we can take action in the presence of fear. That’s the definition of courage.

4. We could Keep the Culture Alive when working from home is the option

A sense of loneliness and isolation can be real issues when working home, so cultivating connections by making sure that you are routinely reaching out to help alleviate any challenges your team may be facing whether personally and professionally, which could include daily check-ins with individual employees and/or increasing the frequency of team meetings and company-wide emails.

Create time and space for people to connect on a personal basis, this could be designated Slack channels for people to share things about their lives outside of work, a funny meme or video, or about their pets. You might also create open meetings for people to come together without a specific agenda or objective other than being together.

During meetings and 1-to-1s, do turn on your webcams. Seeing your colleagues fosters greater connection and understanding through eye contact and the ability to read facial expressions and body language.

5. We could fight back and use this chaos as an opportunity for ourself and our business

Cancelled business, postponed deals, frozen contracts...we can easily get pissed off by this chaotic situation. Yet, there is always going to be chaos. How we handle it … is our defining moment.

If for the next few months, you are going to have a bit more time on your hands, what would you focus on?

More phone calls to your clients to deepen the relationships in adversity?
A clean-sheet review on your business vision and alignment?
Be more proactive in promoting the work of others?
...

It will help your outlook if you make a list. If things are heading south for you, find some things to look forward to, create new opportunities that are in your control.

As Winston Churchill is remembered as saying: “Never let a good crisis go to waste.”

Focus on the things we can control. Keep living our life. We can get through this, just as we’ve gotten through other challenges.

How are you going to embrace this chaos and spread your calm vibes?