Leadership is Required in Times Like These
I was resisting addressing the tide of the current events, but with the latest announcements about the coronavirus (COVID-19), I feel compelled to share with you my views, along with some information I was made aware of last night and this morning, and some tips that you will find useful. (Note: I have a helpful guide for leaders, The 5 Minute Shift™. You can Access the PDF Now).
First let me say that we need to keep things in perspective. For leaders, this is a time where you are being tested. How you respond and react matters. This is a time for sound leadership.
This much I know, the spread of this virus and its effects are temporary. In time it will not pose a significant threat.
As A Leader:
It’s imperative as leaders to know the facts, make thoughtful decisions and take well thought-out actions. It’s a time to instill confidence and provide direction based on sound information.
Your clients and customers, your employees, family members and colleagues are counting on you to be grounded and clear headed. Be honest and direct in your communications. Fight the urge to sugar coat information that you know is relevant and useful.
The public and government reactions concerning the spread of the coronavirus most likely will affect some if not most businesses (the travel industry for obvious reasons has been hard-hit). It's likely that you will be faced with making critical decisions. The decisions you make in the short term may have lasting effects.
Take the long view. The spread of the virus may very well be temporary as the weather warms, thoughtful and practical public policies take effect and sound personal habits by the public, including personal hygiene, are followed. Remember, just two months ago, business, economies and world travel were all booming and strong. This too shall pass.
A World View:
To help you with some of the facts, I found some data that I’m sharing with you here and which seems to be from credible sources. (Links are included below). Here are a few highlights:
There have been approximately 130,000 reported cases from 111 countries. The world population exceeds 7.7 Billion people (it was 7.7B in April 2019).
Although the World Health Organization announced yesterday that the coronavirus (COVID-19) is classified as a pandemic, the data suggests that it is currently less of a threat to world health than many other infectious diseases, like the Flu for example.
A Personal Perspective:
Earlier this week I was speaking to the Rotary Club of Macon about the need for leaders to focus on self-care. You and I are 100% responsible for our health, and the quality of our health directly impacts our ability to lead.
Use good judgment and take a common sense approach to managing your personal health. The recommendations by the CDC are good ones. Washing your hands thoroughly, avoid others who are coughing or sneezing, stay home if you feel sick, using disinfectant wipes to clean surfaces you come in contact with and hand sanitizer are all good measures.
Listen to your body. Your body is providing you with information on a regular basis. To be in better tune with your body, I recommend you take time each day to slow things down and to center yourself.
To help you, I have a guide that you can easily follow, The 5 Minute Shift™. CLICK HERE to download it now.
Of concern is the body's immune system and its ability to fight off infection. Now, I am not a medical professional. I do have some tips based on my research and based on my life experiences that I found helpful. Here are some proactive measures you can take to strengthen your immune system.
1. First, get enough rest. You need 7-9 hours of sleep daily. Recently, a CEO client of mine said that she didn’t need as much sleep as when she was younger. Not true. You need as much if not more sleep as you age. Your body and your brain need the downtime to recover and heal. This was the number one factor in how I recovered my health in 2019.
2. Regular exercise is important. Moving your body helps to boost your immune system and increases your oxygen efficiency.
3. Breathing well is vital. Deep, steady breathing nourishes your body. Just take a few minutes throughout the day to breathe in through your nose gently and exhale from your mouth slowly. A simple three (inhale)/four (exhale) count can help.
4. Eating warm spicy foods can help increase your internal body temperature that helps your body ward off or fight infections. Adding raw ginger to your tea or soup, and spices like cinnamon or turmeric are great natural additives that can help.
Another tip: practice information fasting. Much of the information we absorb from countless media sources is not useful. It’s easy to fall into a panic watching, listening and reading all the media attention on T.V., radio and social media.
Consider limiting your time. Be selective and judicious. Yes, you need to be informed but do you need to know by-the-minute updates on everything?
How much information is enough? I suggest that you need to know enough information to be reasonably informed and be able to address the concerns of your family, employees, customers and colleagues. Some credible sources are the CDC.gov and Johns Hopkins.
A Final Note:
Be informed but don’t overload yourself with information. Take practical precautions, address others’ concerns honestly and with compassion and take the long view. And make sure to practice self-care. Use my simple to use PDF, The 5 Minute Shift™, that will help you lead in these times. CLICK HERE to access it now.
For me personally, I am more mindful of how often I wash my hands, and practice all of the tips I suggested above.
I have three trips planned in the next couple of months, and as of now, I still plan to make them. All domestic and in warm climes. By then, I hope the virus poses less of a threat.
For more information, I've included two links to some data as of yesterday and today:
https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/covid-19-coronavirus-infographic-datapack/
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
Until next time!
P.S. To start using my easy to use guide that will help you, JUST CLICK HERE and receive The 5 Minute Shift™ PDF.