Summer is over, so snap back to reality, there goes strategic gravity. With apologies to Eminem, it’s a 
new school year, football is back, and business leaders realize that there are just four months left in this year to hit our goals and objectives while starting the planning process for next year.
For many experienced and inexperienced leaders, it is easy to get sucked into the tsunami of work and not think strategically about how to execute and get the work done. During the past few months of designing and developing robust leadership development business simulations and workshops, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the best and not-so-best leaders as they prepare and dive into the storm. I’ve summarized five key learnings into leadership tips that can be useful in times of tremendous stress and change at work.
Use the strategy as your compass
If you are stuck with getting started and feeling paralyzed by analysis, the first tip is to let your strategy be your compass. Assuming your company’s strategy is clear (and that could be a big assumption) then your top priority as a leader is to use the strategy as a means to setting goals, objectives and alignment. For example, if your strategy is Product Leadership – driving innovation to have the best products/services in your market – then you need to make sure sales is selling the value of innovation, marketing is creating the awareness of innovation, supply chain is sourcing top quality raw materials, manufacturing is making the best product, and finance is providing the capital to continue long-term funding of R&D. This approach should transcend all strategies including customer intimacy and operational excellence.
Keep people focused on the 3-4 most important things
One of the biggest challenges of leading in the digital age is the overwhelming volume of information, data, and work we have to do. If we didn’t need to eat, sleep, and spend time with our families, we could work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With all these things to do, people need direction. Or at least guidance on what to do and how to prioritize. The second big tip is to do whatever you can to focus your people on the most important things to do. The suggestion here is that after 3-4 primary goals, it becomes extremely difficult to do any of them well. Your job is to help guide your people to know which of the 3-4 things are most important and most aligned to your company’s strategy.
Over communicate
In times of extreme pressure and change like the calendar turning to September, it is impossible for leaders to communicate too much. The secret to success is making sure you use a variety of tools and methods in addition to the obligatory town halls, emails, and memos. Video messages, one-on-ones, small team meetings, and FaceTime meetings are a few of the tools I’ve seen used effectively by leaders who understand the principal of over communicating effectively.
Be more directive
Much of the leadership literature and most of the foundational leadership development programs including our own Fundamentals of Business Leadership urge leaders to delegate, empower, and create self-accountability to be successful. I am going to be a contrarian here and propose that in times of business stress that leaders need to be more directive and telling. If you believe that someone on your team is highly skilled and has a lot of will to do the job, it is still okay to “ask the how’s” when getting things done. If the how doesn’t support the strategy or your perspective on the efficiencies of the work, then it’s acceptable to be more directive.
Take time to enjoy and learn from success
As the calendar turns to September and your people understand that things are real, it’s also important to stop to celebrate successes to enjoy and learn from those successes. There’s already enough stress and one of the most important things you can do is keep it light and focus on continuous learning, improvement and having some fun.
