This is part three of in the series on Leading Frustrated Teams. Check out the second post here.
Teams get their cue from their leaders. Those following you see you as the mold they need to fit into. Those you serve, as a leader, learn to celebrate your enterprises’ wins from you. They learn to take the hits from how well you do it.
When you and your team are frustrated it is critical what you do. The response of your leadership to challenges becomes the response of the team.
calm from leaders is what frustrated teams need
|| image credit: VinothChandar || cc
Burst
When you team is frustrated, regardless of the source of their frustration, you mustn’t lose your cool.
When everyone is freaking out the last thing a leader should do is join them. You cannot act rationally if you join the madness.
When teams, or anyone, is frustrated, they hardly act in a rational way. Before you can bring your team back into the game, you need to address their frustration.
Losing your temper on your team is never in the top ten list of getting rid of your team’s frustration
Dear leader, keep your cool. When you burst out in tantrums with your frustrated team as the audience, you push them further into it. Leaders with temper problems are not healthy for themselves and those they lead.
Panic
Panic is just as bad as temper tantrums. Panic is a result of magnifying your inadequacy and not the importance of your vision. Your anchor, as a leader and team, must always be why you must do what you do and not how obstacles inhibit you.
You may be in a state of panic but you must contain it and avoid further infecting your team. Keep calm and just lead. If you’re going to freak out do so with a trusted mentor and get back to your team composed.
The first step to thinking clearly is composing yourself. Leading your team in and through frustration, has to include bringing them to a state of composure or calm.
Cool
One of the most empowering things a frustrated team needs is a leader with composure. The composure of the leader is empowering. It gives courage in the seemingly hopeless moments. It communicates that it is possible to function and deliver even in the most adverse conditions.