What’s driving your actions as a leader? Are you letting fear or love take the wheel today? When facing change and uncertainty, it’s easy for fear to creep in and not realize it. 

• If you feel the need to have daily updates from your team, you may be letting fear drive your actions.
• If you feel it’s necessary to have multiple team video calls during the week, you may be letting fear drive your actions.
• If you’re worried about your team not being productive while working from home, you may be letting fear drive your actions.
• If you feel it’s necessary to be copied on email correspondence, you may be letting fear drive your actions.
• If you feel you have to appear to all the answers right now, you may be letting fear drive your actions.
• If you paint a picture better than reality, you may be letting fear drive your actions. No one likes false hope.

Trying to control your team is behavior driven by fear. Fear stifles people physically, emotionally, and mentally. Fear reduces your team’s ability to think clearly, to perform well, and be innovative.

Love isn’t naive and overly optimistic. Love is disciplined in order to make the best choice for the team. It sees the entire picture and how decisions affect everyone not just a few. Love is realistic and acknowledges fear. 

• If your actions support your team’s well being, you are letting love drive your actions.
• If you’re checking in with each team member to see how you can support them, you are letting love drive your actions.
• If you’re giving your team time to respond without needing an immediate reply,  you are letting love drive your actions. This doesn’t eliminate emergencies, but it does require better planning and communication.
• If you’re respecting team members’ time for lunches, breaks, and personal appointments,  you are letting love drive your actions.
• If your actions acknowledge your team is facing new challenges at home too, you are letting love drive your actions.

It is impossible to continue business as normal so we must adjust our expectations. We are facing never seen before challenges both economically and medically. There is no playbook. It is more important than ever to lead with compassion, confidence, and courage. Your team needs you.

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Your Turn

What actions would you include under fear or love?