The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic starkly revealed fundamental deficiencies in health care delivery around the world, including endemic racial disparities, the fragility of supply chains, the vulnerability of staff, and the depth of uncertainty about both a novel disease and our own systems. It also sparked innovations in the delivery of care and a transient change in how our organizations are managed. Many credited their successful Covid-19 response to flatter hierarchies, easier access to senior leaders, a sharper focus on what really matters, quicker decision-making, rapid experimentation and tolerance of experimental failure, and less-experienced staff spontaneously stepping up to lead. As one academic observed, "In a small crisis power moves to the center," but in a big one, "it moves to the periphery."
We know that success at work depends on being and being seen as-both competent and likable. You need people to notice your growth and accomplishments while also enjoying your company. But this puts you in a predicament. If you draw attention to the value you've created to ensure that managers and peers recognize it-you risk coming across as a shameless self-promoter. Not to mention the "icky" feeling that many of us get when we self-promote.
No one likes a braggart-maybe because bragging makes others feel envy, annoyance, or even anger. Numerous studies have shown that a person who brags is seen as egotistical, insecure, and inconsiderate.
So how can you realize the benefits of self promotion without the backlash?
Opportunities to brag without penalty at work are few and far between, so I generally advise people to focus on earning recognition through consistent performance. As my father always told my brother and me when we are growing up, "The cream will rise to the top."
Humility is admirable. But if someone requests information or an answer that requires you to reveal positives about yourself, you should oblige.
However, cream sometimes needs a little help to rise. And although bragging is by and large socially inappropriate, there are exceptions. It's not enough to just throw thoughts out there and hope for the best. You need to actively recommend ideas and assert their worthiness in all of your communications.
How do you prepare yourself for what might be a large, perhaps even life-changing, disappointment? Is it better to think it through ahead of time? Or do you just end up wasting energy and causing yourself anxiety when you can't know the outcome yet anyway? The first thing you need to do is ask if worrying really helps. If your anxiety motivates you to take action that can affect the outcome, then it might be useful. Worry can also compel you to gather resources - such as social support to help you stay resilient if the worst-case scenario comes to fruition. But you should balance any agonizing with some sense of hope, as long as you aren't overconfident that things will go your way. Definitely don't wallow in misery. You can't prepay your pain. And if you have trouble quelling unhelpful, negative emotions, try distracting yourself with something fun or meditative.
We look at stories from people who've dealt with anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges. How they fell down, how they picked themselves up, and how they hope workplaces can change for the better. Depression and anxiety, they're super prevalent. Especially right now. Many of the most successful people we know, including us, deal with mental health issues and managed to achieve incredible things. Negative experiences can bring a recognition of personal strength, the exploration of new possibilities, improved relationships with others, a greater appreciation for life, and spiritual growth.
Anxiety isn't always counterproductive. It can prompt you to react quickly to threats, and in a crisis it can spur you to make your team more resourceful and productive. But unchecked, it zaps your energy and clouds your decisions. Anxiety is a powerful enemy; you need to disarm it. First you must accept your anxiety and know what triggers it. Once you do that, you can begin managing it. Work to distinguish between the possible and the probable. Structure your time, take small, meaningful actions, and try techniques that reduce anxiety's physical symptoms. Set yourself up so that anxiety doesn't harm your ability to lead. In "When Anxiety Becomes Unbearable," Dr. Ellen Hendriksen explains what to do when your anxiety, or that of an employee, is especially heightened--and how to handle the situation with compassion. Managers may inadvertently make their employees anxious.
Today's leaders can learn from how past leaders managed during a crisis. In "How History's Great Leaders Managed Anxiety," Nancy Koehn outlines how Abraham Lincoln, Ernest Shackleton, Franklin Roosevelt, and others knew how to convey stability and hope, even when they themselves were uncertain about the future. While there's much you can do to manage your anxiety, you must also acknowledge the effects widespread anxiety can have on society. In "Anxiety Is a Public Health Issue," Sandro Galea describes seven ways we can mitigate mental health consequences during a crisis like Covid-19.
“At some point we will be able to reflect on the long-term consequences of this terrible time"
Post-traumatic growth often happens naturally, but it can be facilitated in five ways: through education (rethinking ourselves, our world, and our future), emotional regulation (managing our negative emotions and reflecting on successes and possibilities), disclosure (articulating what is happening and its effects), narrative development (shaping the story of a trauma and deriving hope from famous stories of crucible leadership), and service (finding work that benefits others).
What good can come of this? In times of stress, crisis, or trauma, people often ask that question. This year we’ve been hit by a pandemic that has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths, unprecedented unemployment, and a global economic downturn. In the face of such a tragedy—personal and collective—it might appear that the answer is “Nothing.”
