We are living through a period of extraordinary uncertainty. Our safety and our Leadership is in flux.
Two renowned scholars and two McKinsey experts recently illuminated the leadership imperatives of our time:
- bringing people together,
- energizing forward progress, and
- reimagining normalcy.
This is exactly what we embrace with our Partnering through Collaboration Leadership Approach (at RNKnowles & Associates).
Stress in the Workplace
The COVID mess has driven us onto new and different ground. The virus, the vast amounts of conflicting information, the on-again off-again edicts, the shortage of workers, and the supply-chain problems are forcing everyone to rethink what and how we conduct our businesses. On top of this, we still must maintain our standards of safety, quality, and total performance. With such high levels of complexity, no one knows how to do all of this.
For the businesses having to impose and enforce all the edicts, we wind up pitting ourselves against each other. For example, suppose someone must be let go because the edict required vaccination and the person refused it for good health reasons, and then the edict is blocked in court the next day. What do we do? We can bring the person back to work, but then other, new changes are imposed. What then? How do we handle the pay issues? It goes on and on. These stressors are intense in our workplaces today.
Finding a Workable Way through this Mire
With everything changing around us, we must find a way to take control, and make sense of what we do. Perhaps we need to shift our way of working from a top-down, hierarchical approach to one of opening up and partnering with the people. Talking together and working out our problems, as partners, is extremely important.
Our top-down approach is faced with lots of questions. Who knows the “right” answers? What are the rules today? How do we operate our businesses for the good of everyone? Are we supposed to force people to get COVID vaccinations when some people have already had COVID and are immune or have some health issues that make having a vaccination dangerous? Is Management trying to force things and the people are resisting because they do not want to get pushed around? Is Management just an extension of the Government?
No one person knows the answers. Yet, when we partner, we can do a lot better. You do know your own workplaces and the people who work there. Collectively, you know what is best for you, and what will keep you from splitting up into various factions. You know the playing field you are on. Talk together so everyone has a good picture of what you are trying to do. Talking and sharing is important because everyone has a different picture. In sharing, a clearer picture can be developed by all.
Partnering through Collaboration (Leadership Approach) is your Guide
As you talk about developing a clearer picture of your new playing field, let the conversation move on to trying to figure out how to manage yourselves on this field the best you can. Your goal is to help each other get through all this confusion so everyone can work safely, people can keep their jobs, and your business do the best it can. Develop some co-created agreements about how you are going to manage and deal with problems so things can be the best they can be. Listen to everyone and explore the best ways to work together in these difficult times. In having this conversation, you are establishing the ground rules for working together as partners. Be open to the constant need to pay attention to what is happening around you so you can be resilient and flexible as things change.
Having developed a clear picture of your playing field and co-creating how you’ll play in these confusing times, to go and do what needs to be done. Do the work, adjusting together as you go. Help each other, share information, treat everyone with respect. Avoid blame and fighting which will tear you apart.
No one know just the right answers, so you will have to develop your own as best you can. If you just default to today’s edicts, you’ll have to change them tomorrow when some new edict is issued. Take control of your destiny as best you can.
The goal is to get through all this safely, keep your people and business thriving and active, building stronger relationships for partnering and working together. This is a tough challenge, but who knows your workplace and the people better than you. You can work things out together.
Remember these 3 tenets of Partnering through Collaboration (Leadership approach):
- Understand the big picture – What’s your frame of reference?
- Continually Build Relationships with all people
- Share Information…openly, widely, often, in various ways
We at Richard N. Knowles and Associates help the people in organizations to develop partnering with our Partnering Through Collaboration approach. It is a specific Leadership process that we can teach you to utilize as you move through your stressors. We have a long, successful track record in this work. You can move forward quickly. To learn more about this, please give us a call at 716-622-6467 and see our web site at www.RNKnowlesAssociates.com. The calls are free.
