Overcoming Leadership Challenges in Times of Pressure and Change
Leadership in times of challenge is hard. In times of crisis, uncertainty leads to fear and fear leads to short-term decisions that have long-term consequences. When we are stressed, our amygdala triggers the fight-or-flight response and reduces our prefrontal cognitive abilities to slow down, think logically, and make smart, informed decisions.
Leaders need to stay focused, people-focused.
What Are Leadership Challenges?
Leadership challenges are the pressures that test how a leader guides people: uncertainty, stress, competing priorities, limited resources, and the need to keep a team engaged and performing. The most common challenges are not technical. They are human, which is why people-first leadership is the best way to overcome them.
Crises come in many forms: a market shock, a restructure, a sudden change in leadership, or a global event that changes how we work overnight. The details differ, but the pattern is the same. Things stop, start, turn around and come back again.
Many of us now lead teams that are remote or hybrid, with kids and pets on the webcams during work calls, and plans that can change on short notice.
A New Type of Future Requires Better Leadership Than Ever Before
It's truly remarkable how, as human beings, everyone has adapted to the new world. It's certain that many of the changes will stick around, not just for the next 12 months, but for the foreseeable future.
Flexible working, better use of technology, streamlined teams, virtual water coolers and parent support groups are undoubtedly here to stay.
Yet the reality of overcoming leadership challenges and supporting teams is harsher. When companies are under financial strain and workers face furloughs or layoffs, businesses need to achieve more, for less. As a leader, the pressure to perform is greater than ever. Yet with teams dispersed and many people juggling caregiving at home, is it really fair to hold people to account for non-delivery of agreed goals and targets? And how do you truly know the state of a team member's mental health?
Complication and Stress, and the Importance of Psychological Safety
In any crisis, physical safety and wellbeing come first. However, we want you to remember psychological safety is equally important.
As individuals, we can take necessary precautions as well as work to manage our stress. But as leaders, how are you ensuring your teams are psychologically safe as they adapt to change?
How do you continue to build relationships and maintain strong clarity with your employees virtually?
How do you act in ways in which they feel encouraged to speak up about the little things and the big things?
Lessons for Overcoming Leadership Challenges
According to an article in the Harvard Business Review on lessons for leaders with their recovery plans, "employees will need to adopt new ways of working, but they won't be able to do so unless they have clear, consistent information and overall direction." Providing clarity is already difficult when we are not in times of stress and our teams are at our fingertips. In times of change, the need for clarity is non-negotiable.
Leadership is leadership and you still need to care for your people. In fact, you need to double down on how you care:
Clarity
You must be as clear as you can. Reduce uncertainty, as uncertainty leads to fear. Don't be blinded by the illusion of agreement. See how clarity and autonomy work together to build high-performing teams.
Autonomy
It's so important to involve your team in tough decisions. Ask way more questions than you typically do. Ignore your brain's desire to control everything. Our guide to autonomy in leadership shows how.
Relationships
People want to be part of a tribe. They yearn to be valued. Now is the time to work hard on reassuring your people that they are in your tribe and valued. It starts with knowing your people.
Equity
Your time is precious, and ensuring those who need your time get it, is a must. It's impossible to equally distribute your resources and energy. Learn more about equity in leadership.
That's how to C.A.R.E.™ for your people. In caring for your people in this way you will improve the psychological safety of your teams. The safer they feel, the more resilient, the more creative, the more engaged your people will be. In times of stress, as a leader, your innate desire is to control rather than give autonomy.
In times of crisis, teams need even more psychological safety in order to give leaders candid feedback, openly admit mistakes, and learn from each other to overcome short term challenges.
Great Leaders Hit the Ground Running
Start developing and strengthening the psychological safety in your teams now, so that you hit the ground running as a united front once the current uncertainty blows over. Get people to speak up about how to get through these challenging times. Leaders don't have all the answers, but their teams do. Once a team feels cared for, they are more willing to unleash their thoughts to enable growth and development.
Leadership is an art.
It's a deliberate choice we make to positively influence those around us. It's a belief and mindset that "I am here for my team", not the other way around. We all have the choice to be a leader. We all have the ability to be great. It's whether we choose to or not.
Leadership Is Still Leadership
As we continue our efforts to make the workplace more human, we encourage leaders to lean into stretching their interpersonal habits.
Leadership is still leadership even when it's being forced into the virtual world and often times it is the most vital part of survival. Please continue to let us know how your teams and companies are doing and ways we can support you.
And our final question is, do you CARE?
Ready to lead through your next challenge?
Leadership is still leadership, and the best leaders choose to care. DX Learning supports you and your teams in navigating stress and uncertainty, with C.A.R.E.™ product demos, value mapping sessions, and keynotes that build psychological safety.
Explore the DX CARE framework or talk to our team about developing your leaders.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are leadership challenges?
Leadership challenges are the pressures that test how a leader guides people: uncertainty, stress, competing priorities, limited resources, and the need to keep a team engaged and performing. The most common challenges are not technical. They are human, which is why people-first leadership is the best way to overcome them.
What are the biggest leadership challenges?
Common leadership challenges include communication breakdowns, low morale, leading through constant change, building trust with remote or hybrid teams, and balancing performance with burnout. Many of them come down to the same root: people need clarity, a say in decisions, strong relationships, and fair access to their leader's time.
How do you overcome leadership challenges?
Start with people. Be as clear as you can, involve your team in tough decisions, reassure them they are valued, and give your time to those who need it most. These four habits are the C.A.R.E. framework, and they build the psychological safety that helps teams stay resilient under pressure.
Why is psychological safety important during a crisis?
In a crisis, uncertainty leads to fear, and fear leads to short-term decisions. Psychological safety lets teams give candid feedback, admit mistakes openly, and learn from each other. The safer people feel, the more resilient, creative, and engaged they are, which helps everyone overcome the challenge faster.
How can leaders stay calm under pressure?
Under stress, the brain's fight-or-flight response reduces our ability to slow down and think logically. Pause before big decisions, stay focused on your people, and ask your team more questions than you normally would. Leaders do not have all the answers, but their teams often do.
