How to lead a team through adversity

The word "adversity" describes an unexpected or stressful situation. Stress comes from feeling lost, out of control, or uncertain about the future. We can help our team by addressing these stressors and getting back to work. How-to: Feeling lost Our hopes and expectations form our sense of stability. Change can therefore make us feel lost. We can help our teams navigate this by acknowledging the grief and clearly defining the opportunities in the new reality. How-to: Feeling out of controlChange creates a large number of unknowns. We can help our teams by identifying what is within our control. Things within our control include "next steps," available resources, and escalation paths to deal with doubt or uncertainty. How-to: Feeling uncertain Will this new reality be worth it? We can help our teams by embracing the challenges as both conquerable and worthwhile. Connect the dots on how the experience can create strength and vibrance. And finally, get everyone moving again. It's okay if productivity is less than the maximum. Let the rhythm of work build. Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.