When your organization faces significant change, maintaining your emotional balance becomes both more challenging and more crucial. Whether you're managing a restructuring, adapting to new leadership, or dealing with unexpected setbacks, these situations test your resilience as a leader.
Understanding the Impact
Consider the challenges you might face: mergers that reshape team dynamics, relocations that disrupt established routines, or project failures that demand honest reflection. These situations don't need to be catastrophic to impact your effectiveness—even positive changes can create stress and uncertainty.
Research published in Leadership Quarterly examined how 163 leaders navigated periods of organizational tension. The findings were clear: when team members perceived their leaders effectively managing emotions while maintaining focus on goals and future vision, their confidence in leadership increased significantly. Conversely, leaders who suppressed their emotions saw decreased job satisfaction among their teams.
The CHECK Approach to Emotional Balance
I've found that successful leaders maintain their effectiveness during challenging times by following a structured approach to emotional awareness and action:
Consider the Situation
Step back and assess events objectively
Identify which emotions are surfacing and why
Question whether your emotional responses are creating unrealistic expectations
Hear from Others
Seek perspective from two or three trusted advisors
Listen actively, but avoid getting caught in cycles of unproductive discussion
Use feedback to broaden your understanding, not validate existing concerns
Eliminate Negativity
Challenge the assumption that difficult situations are permanent
Focus your energy on identifying potential solutions
Practice what psychologist Martin Seligman calls "positive explanatory style"—how you interpret and explain challenges to yourself shapes your response to them
Create a Plan
Define your desired outcome clearly
Map the specific steps needed to move forward
Visualize success before taking action
Break complex challenges into manageable tasks
Keep Your Head Up
Maintain consistent leadership presence, especially when facing uncertainty
Find regular moments to step back, reflect, and recharge
Focus on progress rather than perfection
Putting CHECK into Practice
Think about a current challenge you're facing. How might each element of the CHECK approach help you navigate it more effectively? When leaders maintain their emotional balance, they create space for thoughtful decisions rather than reactive responses.
Consider writing "CHECK" somewhere visible in your workspace. Let it serve as a reminder that even in demanding situations, you have tools to maintain your effectiveness and support your team's success.
The most impactful leaders I've worked with don't just survive challenging times—they use them as opportunities to demonstrate steady, purposeful leadership. They understand that their response to difficulty sets the tone for their entire organization.
Remember: organizational challenges are inevitable. Your ability to maintain emotional resilience through them will define both your leadership impact and your team's success in navigating change.
Looking to strengthen your leadership resilience? Let's explore how targeted coaching can help you lead more effectively through change.