The Best of Bill’s Brain from an Agonizing April
The Truth about Trust. Leading in Crisis. Communicating in Conflict.
April 2020 may be remembered as one of the most difficult months in the history of our country. The rapid, deadly spread of COVID-19 and the gut wrenching crash of the economy has shaken us to the core.
It really was an agonizing April.
As we looked for hope and help during this difficult time, I put pen to paper to add my contribution to the cause. Here are the articles that received the most readership these past 30 days. Maybe you missed them, or maybe they deserve a second look.
Why Should Anyone Trust You as a Leader? The Truth about Trust
We’re living in an age when trust in leadership is at an epic low. Shrill voices from the right and shrill voices from from the left have kept us frozen on a ledge, not sure whom to believe or whom to follow.
Why?
Because few of our leaders have done what it takes to earn our trust. It’s more than being the loudest voice in the room or having billions of dollars behind your name. The truth about trust is that it’s earned with these essentials, in this order: character, competence, and chemistry.
An Airplane, A Heart Attack, and How I Learned to Lead in Crisis
I was struck this week by the similarities of an Alaska Airlines flight I was on from Newark, New Jersey to Seattle, Washington and what we're experiencing with COVID-19.
Our year had taken off and we were leveling out, set on a direct course to 2020 goal completion. But then an unplanned emergency struck us, and we've made a sharp bank to the right. Quarantine, shelter-in-place, and social distancing are all now a part of our daily vocabulary.
We were supposed to be on our way to Seattle, but now we're stuck on the tarmac in Syracuse. Here's what I learned from this experience.
How to Talk When the Heat Is On: Four Critical Steps
Here’s a reality of the human condition. When external pressure intensifies, internal cracks emerge in our relational systems. We find ourselves, quite unintentionally, in conflict with those whom we love the most, at home, at work, and at church.
What are we to do as leaders?
Learn how to communicate, and communicate well, when the heat is on. In this article I outline four steps to doing just that, each beginning with the letter A, so you can remember them when another A, adrenaline, seeks to hijack your brain and crash your relationships.
Thank You for Reading …
Thank you for all your positive comments related to these articles. Thank you for the likes, the shares, and the ongoing discussions we’ve had on these important topics.
You are the reason I write. Thank you for reading.