Sinking inward drags down during tough times. Weak leaders focus
on themselves; tough leaders focus on others. Sinking inward
indicates weakness. Moving forward with tenderness is tough.
Weak leaders act tough during tough times but tough leaders
remain focused, calm, and steady. First, remain focused on
others: - Ask about their world and forget yours. Their world is
your world. - Honor effort even during failure and correction. -
Lift into the future. Reject falling into the past. Second,
remain calm: - Slow down and shut up. Frantic leaders create
frantic environments. Your tone filters through your
organization. - Listen. Calmness powerfully indicates listening
and validates others. - Decide. Even if you decide to hunker
down and ride it out, let everyone know. Every decision creates
a future. Third, remain steady: - Seek solutions. - Trust team
mates. Trust means most during tough times. - Stay on course.
Make decisions that express forward movement. Bonus: Over
communicate during tough times. Tough lead