Leadership amid adversities – when leaders find themselves adrift

According to a report by Indeed in December, more than 50 per cent of workers were unsure if they would stay in their current positions over the next six months.

Business leaders are forced into a never-ending race to not only ensure recovery while facing economic and political turmoil but also retain talents by supporting and managing employees’ total well-being.

However, an interview by Harvard Business Review in 2020 with 30 leaders from a variety of national and multinational companies in the UK and US showed that leaders were struggling to juggle between work and family while handling pressure from both.

The negative emotions commonly reported are stress, anxiety, disorientation, and emotional dysregulation.

“I’m struggling to keep my emotions in check, and the people closest to me are getting the brunt of it. In addition, I feel I have little grasp on how to navigate the future, much less to lead others,” one of the leaders shared.

Business leaders are dealing with the pressure of increased responsibility from both the workplace and at home

Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, deputy CEO of Talentnet, explained that leaders often take on three different approaches to manage their negative emotions. “Heroes” hide their fears and focus only on the positive aspects; “technocrats” put aside their emotions and focus only on tactical solutions; and finally “sharers” embrace their fears, openly communicate with employees and evoke empathy from their team.

Although each approach has its pros and cons, Hương believes that ‘sharers’ will usually be successful in building a cohesive, high-performing team that is resilient in the face of future uncertainties.

“Leaders are often expected to be optimistic, positive, and fearless when faced with adversities. It’s not wrong, but it can unintentionally make leaders inconsiderate towards employees’ difficulties. Or worse, it can inadvertently lead to team members suppressing their own challenges and being hesitant to share or talk about their difficulties. Leaders need to take down their "hero" masks because they are just humans. Don’t hesitate to talk about your fears and anxieties with employees. Because it will become the catalyst for a sympathetic, empathetic, and sustainable environment in the post-pandemic era,” Huong shared.

Vulnerable leaders: Difficult, but not impossible

Due to a widespread assumption that admitting negative emotions is a sign of weakness, many leaders choose to stifle their emotions. Huong suggests three strategies that help the most reluctant leaders to bravely open up about their fears to employees:

Setting aside five minutes at the end of the meeting to share about ongoing challenges will help relieve stress and foster stronger bonds within the team

Be proactive in acknowledging the challenges and fears: Self-reflect sessions are one of the first steps for leaders to acknowledge the challenges and fears they are facing. They can then record their emotions by writing a journal, or conversating with a loved one. This method helps leaders to effectively recognise and face their fears, therefore building their emotional awareness.

Start small but in the right place and at the right time: Building a caring relationship between leaders and employees doesn’t happen overnight, especially when the leaders have never done this before. Setting aside a certain time and place, for example, the last five minutes of the first meeting of the week and starting with admitting minor frustration to slowly close the gap between colleagues, thereby giving the space for negative emotions or challenges to be heard.

Lifting the burden by delegating: Leaders need to be ready to involve others and delegate the work to their teams to overcome various challenges.

Contrary to common belief, asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Leaders, who can delegate, can empower their employees to become better at problem-solving. Furthermore, leaders can experience a significant improvement in emotions as their work is heavily reduced through delegation.

On the other hand, opting for outsourcing services is also an instant solution to help the team reduce the workload and pressure, and be more mentally relieved.

“It can be difficult to admit our fears and anxieties, but in fact, vulnerable leaders can foster deeper relationships with their employees, which improves employee engagement and better retains talents as well as empowers everyone to try their best. The fears that you are facing can later be your strengths given dealt with in the right ways,” Huong shared.