Companies struggle, startups as Runtastic shut down. Great people lose jobs, their 2nd home. How can leaders and teams make the best of it?
I’ve never lost a job. Hence, I won’t pretend to know how jobloss shakes up leaders and their team.
Still, we know that 80% of the economy is based on psychology. As our mind can be our best friend “but also our worst enemy”, we have to and can choose sides. On top, positive psychology proves how a positive mind can turn a problem into an opportunity.
If my clients face a major adversity at work or employees lose their jobs, it might feel undoable to see the upside in it at first. Still, if you apply these 5 skills for Positive Thinking and Positive Leadership, a way out of the slump and forward is much easier and faster than you might imagine right now:
Explore with honest curiosity
Too many times we build our beliefs and actions on assumptions. Becoming truly curious with yourself and others by exploring e.g. what’s the real matter, needed, wanted, etc. enables you to set the right foundation for future action.
People (and especially managers) struggle the most with showing self-empathy. Empathy for others might be easier to provide, but e.g. a hyper-rational, controlling or hyper-achieving mind might also block empathy completely. Hence, enabling self-care first is not a selfish act, but needed for everyone’s mental wellbeing in the end.
There is not “one strategy and plan” to execute and succeed with. Life and its adversities are like a ship in the fog: We can only navigate through it, by approaching our target step by step. By asking ourselves what’s truly important and letting go of what just seems to – one step at a time.
In tense times like firing staff, many restrictions or fears are present. “Yes, but…” is a common answer. Still, a company has to find (human) solutions. Applying the “Yes, and…” technique and building on the part of ideas which seem true to you can lead to innovative solutions. Staying open-minded and letting go of early judgment is key.
Once we agree on next steps and everyone in the room or family nods their heads, no guarantee is given that actions are truly taken. Many things can come in the way! The most common hurdle is our negative mind – as we e.g. get avoidant as tasks or conversations feel unpleasant. Discover a positive answer to these detectable hurdles, be ready to use it and take action!
If you ever had to let go of your staff or went jobless, what positive opportunities did you discover (in the end)?
(Picture/artwork by Antonio Sortino, The NY Times, From Unicorns to Zombies 2023)