Awareness: A Key to Thriving in Chaotic Times

In chaotic times, awareness is key. In the latest episode of "Awareness: A Key to Thriving in Chaotic Times," Ed Drozda, The Small Business Doctor, shares crucial insights on leading with understanding and empathy. Dive in for strategies that can stabilize and strengthen your business. #Leadership #SmallBusiness 

Transcript

0:10

Welcome to the Water Trough where we can't make you drink, but we will make you think. My name is Ed Drozda, The Small Business Doctor, and I'm really excited you chose to join me here as we discuss topics that are important for small business folks just like you. If you're looking for ideas, inspiration, and possibility, you've come to the right place. Join us as we take steps to help you create the healthy business that you've all. Always wanted.

Ed Drozda: 0:43

Welcome back to the water trough. This is Ed Drozda, The Small Business Doctor. Over this past weekend, I had occasion to go to a peaceful protest, and I want to underscore the word peaceful. We're making a lot of noise about protests that are, quote, not peaceful, but we're living in times that are really, really different. I haven't personally seen anything like this since the 1960s. And in the 1960s, for those of you old enough to know, there was a lot of political unrest, a lot of unrest in many areas of this country. It certainly is reminiscent of that today, although I would say that it's a little bit different and even more intense than it was back then. The purpose of this protest, which was held on Saturday no King's Day, was for people to express their concern that our current president appears to be desirous of staying in office at any cost, for the remainder of his natural life. Now, I might be pushing it a little bit, but the sentiment is that this is what his desire is, and people have gotten to the point where they're completely aggravated. Of course, those who are supportive of him are not aggravated at all. They're very content with the notion and find it quite enjoyable. This is freedom of expression, freedom of belief, freedom of speech. There are two sides to every coin, and I'm not here to dispute that. I didn't really want to start this episode sounding as if it were a political call out, but it is, I think, an important place to begin, because in the current time it's really difficult for any of us to ignore what is going on in this administration, what is going on in the country as a result. For many of us, perhaps most of us, a general sense of malaise has set in. A fear, a concern, a lack of certainty, a lack of clarity. If these things set in for an individual, they in turn have an effect, on larger organizations. For example, I have seen a number of businesses that have had considerable disruption as a result, where trusted employees are losing their positions, they're being taken from their workplace, and those that remain, even if they do have a sense of certainty that they belong, are feeling vulnerable and unsure of what is going to happen to them, of what their role will be in this modified workspace, and how they will go forward. These things are real. These are genuine outcomes that have resulted from some of the activities that are taking place today. And in business, particularly in small business, it doesn't take a lot of disruption. It doesn't take a lot of uncertainty to create a significant and potentially deleterious impact. This is something that leadership needs to think strongly about. Repeatedly I have said that one must first be aware. It is very possible that within an organization, a small business, a large business for that matter, that leadership is perfectly content with the way things are and is experiencing no remorse, regrets, concern, or what have you. It's absolutely possible, but it's also likely, that not everyone within an organization shares that feeling. And the ability for uncertainty, for fear, and for a lack of belief will create or can lead to chaotic circumstances and the best of leaders, no matter how well equipped they are at leading will find in that environment that they are not as effective as they want to be. And so the first step is to be aware within your business, within your organization that others, those others upon whom you depend for the success of your business may not be feeling so comfortable. They may not be feeling so fortunate. They may be feeling overwhelmed. Their work performance might be suffering, or maybe for the moment they're doing a good job of keeping that at bay. But in either case, failure for leadership to recognize that these things exist, that people are being impacted by the environment in which we live, can lead to a state where a business leader will lose the control that they have. To do so in a time of general malaise, of broad uncertainty could be catastrophic for any business. Again, regardless of how successful a leader has been or is currently feeling, being aware of the folks within your business is critical. You can't hide behind the fact that life for you is great and expect things to continue on as normal. At some point in time, these things will catch up. Now, what you need to do to be aware, there's a host of different ways to do this, but certainly at the very least, leadership cannot rely upon the status quo. Leadership must be open to listening to what people have to say. Leadership must be engaging employees, asking them for their opinion, their position, so as to understand what is actually going on within the business. This is a leadership mandate. It is not an optional situation. It doesn't matter about the circumstances in the environment either. This applies at any time, but during a time where the prevailing environment can be as impactful as it is now, it's of even more importance. It is critical that leadership has wide open eyes and ears and knows and understands how their employees are being impacted. Armed with that information what does one do? Well, this of course has a host of possible outcomes as well. At the very least, engaging your employees, reminding them of the mission of the business, supporting them, giving them the confidence to believe that their purpose remains, that they are valued, that they do, and can make a difference. These are just fundamental natural expectations of a leader. Again, in the current environment, vastly more important than they would normally be, but always important. And during these times, during these times, they're critical. As a leader, you must understand that you depend upon your employees to bring your goals, your objectives, your mission to fruition. If those employees are experiencing hardships, if those employees are experiencing distress that is resulting from factors outside of their control, one doesn't expect you to change the fact that they do, but it is important that you acknowledge that circumstance. That you give them the opportunity to express themselves so that they can be reminded of the value of what they're doing. A business is at its most vulnerable when the relationship between leaders and employees is not complete, and that is exacerbated by an environment in which there is uncertainty, chaos and fear. During these times I strongly urge you as business owners, business leaders, to be mindful of these things. They're not simply to be dismissed. Even if you are feeling confident about what's going on, the people upon whom you depend may not feel the same way. And yes indeed, you are vulnerable. Your business is vulnerable if they, the employees, are not in the position of being able to satisfactorily achieve the goals that are expected of them. This is Ed Drozda, The Small Business Doctor, until the next time we meet, I wanna wish you a healthy and a fully aware business.