Everyone experiences tough times. It’s a reality that you cannot avoid.
But tough times don’t have to last for a long time if you take real actions to resolve the situation, relationships, or failure.
The key is to learn from these tough times. Then, move on. Remember, making hasty, poorly thought-out decisions during these times will cause the problem(s) to hang around longer!
Jere was devastated that another team member quit – but at least this one had let him know before he left instead of ghosting him as the others had done. When his boss demanded Jere take action instead of wallowing in his “tough time,” he talked with his executive coach.
The coach walked him through the steps required. This time, Jere took notes instead of citing money and time as excuses for his poor hiring practices. Changing old habits and looking at leadership blind spots helped Jere see why his tough times kept hanging around! Jere took real action by being coachable and listening to his executive coach! He spent several hours setting up his job fit selection system and had others (e.g., HR and legal) sign off on it. The good news? With this new system, he improved his selection process and worked with his executive coach to improve his management and coaching style. His team retention increased, and so did his customers’ satisfaction.
The three lessons he learned?
- Stop attempting to do everything “your own way” … it only creates tough times.
- Time and money are the most common (aka lazy) excuses that overlook the valid reason for bad habits hanging around!
- Working with an executive coach will teach you how to develop resilience, resourcefulness, and flexibility in your management style.
How to Develop Resilience, Resourcefulness, and Flexibility
Resilience. The experience of working through the tough times in a way that creates intended results and resilience. The best way is to work with an executive coach who has been through tough times and helped others successfully navigate them. Remember, attempting to take shortcuts or believing you have it all handled when you experience a minor victory only keeps the tough times hanging around and makes the lesson(s) more expensive.
Resourcefulness. Take initiative because sitting and waiting for the answers never works. Resourcefulness requires focused action to resolve the issue, challenge, or problem.
Example: Trina kept waiting for Ted, her team member, to improve. Even though she continued to receive customer complaints, she did nothing. Her biggest fear was having a straight conversation with Ted and causing him to quit. Trina didn’t feel other team members were capable of doing his job. (A false assumption.) When her boss demanded she work with her executive coach, she finally asked for real help. They created a plan. First, Trina looked at the objective data for all her team members and found that several had the skills required. Then, Trina talked with Ted. Surprisingly, he told her he planned to leave but didn’t know what to say to her. They worked out a focused action plan and delegated different parts of Ted’s job to other team members who looked forward to their new job responsibilities.
Flexibility. We all believe we know how people and situations should work. But know-it-alls usually hurt themselves and keep the tough times around longer than others. Flexibility requires listening and expanding your perspective for you and your team to cross the finish line and win.
Example: Joseph believed he was right that no one else could do his job as well as he did. The problem was that Joseph was in an auto accident, and the team had to pitch in to honor customer commitments or lose a lot of money during this tough time. During the process, Joseph learned flexibility and how to allow others to do the work without micromanaging them. The good news? Joseph and his team realized that working together made the results even better, with happier customers!
©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved
Jeannette Seibly is a champion for success. As a leader, do you have bosses that are difficult for teams to work with? Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom can transform those bosses from hated to respected! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.
A note from Jeannette about being Resilient, Resourceful, and Flexible during tough times: All bosses and leaders experience tough times, often more than once, twice, or thrice! During these times, lessons are available for management and leadership growth … if you are open to them! If you’re not, your tough times will hang around longer than you want. Have questions about what you need to do? Contact me!
Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? The coach is in! Every boss and leader has their blind spots! They get in the way of being a results-producer! When tough times occur, and they will, asking for the right help is important! I have extensive experience and wisdom guiding bosses to hire, coach, and manage their teams. Along the way, they achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching programs.
Tenacity and resilency is something that I learned from my father, who was born in New York City, lived in Hells Kitchen, and by todays standards his parents were far from being educated and English was their second language. My father instilled in me at a very young age to “ push it, pull it, but make it work” which taught me “ stick to it “ at a very young age. 7 years of age to be exact.