To say there is a lot going on in our world right now is likely the understatement of the year!
I find myself going from big picture, what is happening across the world with Coronavirus, to the minutia of checking my bank account daily to make sure I have the funds I need to pay my staff and business partners.
Thoughts like:
Will this be over and will folks be back to work by the end of April? If so, I think I have the resources to weather that storm. The fact is, I have more than enough to make it through April, so should I be generous to others who are really struggling.
If this current crisis goes through May, my retained earnings should be enough to carry me through, but maybe I should back off my generosity a bit.
If my business is not as interrupted as others, what should my response be?
If my business tanks because of Coronavirus, how should I respond?
Is this an opportunity to launch into some new areas of work I have always thought about but never really had the time to focus on?
I am sure you are evaluating your work, and, for that matter, your personal life as well.
Some of you have fallen in love with working from home and are trying to think of ways to approach your boss to lobby for a more permanent home office deal.
Some of you can’t wait to get back to the socialization of your team; this working from home is driving you crazy.
Some of you thought your house was maybe too big for the number of people who now live there, only to find your college kids all came home and now you actually could double your square footage and still be cramped.
Some of you had been thinking about giving up your gym membership to save money only to realize you would now pay double just to go workout with a coach.
Some of you have learned to order your groceries online and just drive up to have someone load them in your car.
One thing is for sure, Coronavirus will cause many of us to rethink portions of our lives, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.
As we rethink our personal and business lives let’s make sure we are doing it with wisdom and not out of fear.
What is it that you are afraid of? If I do not have any retained earnings in my business and if I am not getting any new work, then I should be afraid that my business might not make it. That is legitimate fear. Those are the facts.
How This works with Leaders
When I am coaching clients and we are trying to discern whether something is wise or not we always look at the facts.
Not what I emotionally want the facts to be.
Not the longing desires of my heart.
Not what it would take to please the person I am trying to impress.
Not irrational propaganda or rumors I might have heard.
No! What are the facts?
When I ask the question “What are you afraid of?” I get back answers like:
I don’t know
I am not really sure
That _________ could happen if the stars align exactly right across every galaxy in the universe.
That is when I know we are dealing with a fear or an anxiety that is not going to help us make a wise decision.
As I am thinking about my own business and how I am going make it to the other side of Coronavirus, I am looking at how long I can pay everyone and what kind of new business I can bring in. I am putting those numbers in a spreadsheet, just like I always have, and I am pulling out my journal and I am reflecting on what those numbers are telling me.
If my fear is an overarching, overwhelming sense that the world is collapsing, that is not helping me. We need to make decisions not on what I emotionally project might happen, but what the facts are telling me. I have developed a flow chart - if this happens, I will do A. If that happens, I will do B. The decision is already made and is informed by the facts of the situation.
What I am trying to communicate here is if you are trying to discern between fear and wisdom, the facts of the situation are your friend.
Here is a little checklist you can use to discern if your decision is full of wisdom or full of fear. If you use this list you will most always end up with a decision that is much more wise than it is fearful. I used this model years ago when I wrote my dissertation on wisdom and am so thankful for Dr. Vern Ludden who conceptualized it way back in 2009.
Start with what you THINK the facts are
Think CRITICALLY about the facts
How do these facts AUTHENTICALLY align with your character?
What have been your past EXPERIENCES with these facts?
As you REFLECT on these experiences, what are the facts telling you?
Do you have the COURAGE to put the facts into action?
Have you pressure tested the facts with a larger COMMUNITY of advisors?
What did the above DELIBERATIONS tell you about the facts?
As you COLLABORATE with others do you get a positive impression about the facts?
Some of you who bring SPIRITUALITY into your fact discernment will call upon God to show you direction
Now you are ready to EVALUATE what you THINK the facts are.
Using an informed process like the one I outlined above can help you decide if you are using wisdom in your decision making, or if you are subjecting yourself to irrational fear or anxiety.
I wish you and your family all the best as you navigate this current crisis.
