A crisis has been defined by
different people differently, but I will highlight two that make a lot of sense
during this season of COVID 19. A crisis
(from the Greek κρίσις - krisis; plural: "crises"; adjectival form:
"critical") is any event that is going (or is expected) to lead to an
unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community, or
whole society[1]. Another definition is; a
time when a difficult or important decision must be made[2].
We live in such a difficult
time. History is being written, and generations after us will look back into
this season and might wonder how we managed to cop. How did we make the
decisions we made? How did we respond to the situation? If you are a leader in
any capacity, your decisions right now are being watched carefully. Some will
be quick to critique your every move. Occasionally I ask myself what I would do
if I were the President of a country during these tough times. It’s easy to
point fingers and apportion blame if you don’t understand the gravity of the
situation. They say you are always the best parent until your own kids arrive. You
can always be the best leader until you get the opportunity to, then you
realize the grass is always greener on the other side. It takes more than we
think to lead and especially during such Crisis. If you have a team, during
this season, some teams will abdicate,
avoid the work, disconnect during this season. “None of it matters right now.”
Others will stay connected, keep showing up, keep doing the work, keep growing.
What you do now shapes the team you’ll have whenever the new normal is here.
For those who are working
at home, it's another world of challenges. The balancing act. Considering you
are now present throughout. You have no way to escape and then make a grand
entry. How do you stay present and productive during this time? How do you
avoid resenting everything and everyone? Recently, my wife decided to set me a
space at home to serve as my office. She calls it jokingly, “my cave.” It has
become a space I disappear into and then re-enter. This has given me some sense
of “I can get something done as far as work is concerned.” But I realize it's
not the same. Allow me to share a tool that has been very helpful to me during
this season. The 5 Gears[3]. This tool has
been very helpful to me as I work on being present with those I care about and productive
to get something work done.
If you have driven a
manual car, this will make a lot of sense to you. If you haven't, you have
probably been in one.
5th Gear, this is the Focus Mode,
this is when you lock in on something that you need to get done. When you shut
from the outside world and focus on one task, it could be a report, data work,
writing an article, etc. At this time, someone will have to call your name two
or three times before you can respond. Most of us live in this and others; this
is not possible. We can't focus on one task. You need to make time for 5th
Gear to get something done during this season. Planning, scheduling, and
communicating it to everyone at home will help save you a lot of conflicts.
Don't spend a whole day in 5th Gear.
4th Gear, this is the Multitasking
Mode. It's where you are juggling a number of things—responding to emails,
answering phone calls, responding to your child's question, etc. It's when you
are giving room for anything to distract you, and it's ok. Some people are
always here while others, they have to remind themselves that it's ok to be in
this Gear. It's important to communicate this clearly to those around you that
it’s ok they can approach if they need anything done. Again, you need to learn
how to move out of it to 5th Gear if you need to.
3rd Gear, this is the Social Time.
No work, no phones. It’s time for family or friends. Very important. This is
when you are at the dinner table, and everyone knows it's time to socialize.
Talk about everything that has been happening. Don't be hung-up on an email you
didn't respond to, a call you need to make, or a report you didn't finish.
Enjoy time with family, play a game with your family, and be there to enjoy
each other. Others love this Gear and can spend a whole day on it. For some people,
this is not their favourite time. They look for every chance to avoid it. Every
excuse to look for alternative things to do. You can shift to 4th or
2nd Gear easily from 3rd Gear.
2nd Gear, the Connect Time.
This is when you take the time to connect with your spouse, child, friend, etc.
It's a one-on-one time when you go deeper. You ask personal questions and spend
time to listen well and connect in a more personal way. Some people don't know
how to do this very well, while others wish everyone would do this Gear.
1st Gear, the Recharge Time.
This is when you take time alone to recharge yourself. You need to ask yourself
what recharges you. Recharge is not crushing. Recharge is planned. You choose
to take time to refill your tank. Some people want to do this the whole day.
Not appropriate. Others, they have no idea what this is until the experience
burnout and crush. Don't wait to crush. Plan a time to recharge your battery.
Find the time of the day when you can recharge and be faithful to it.
Reverse Gear, this
is when you become responsive and apologize where necessary. In the course of
our day, we always find that we wronged people knowingly or unknowingly. You
need to apologize whenever you realize you need to. If you keep apologizing
over the same issue throughout, then you need to address the issue that’s
leading to that.
These 5 Gears are
essential; especially during this time of Crisis when you are home, with the
people you care about too much. Taking the time to teach everybody the 5 Gears
helps in reducing drama, resentment, and conflict.
You need to plan out your
day well. You can’t wake up on 4th Gear. Most of us do so.
Recommended is; wake up and go back to bed at the end of the day in 1st
Gear. Not 4th or 5th Gear. If you find yourself doing
this, you need to re-evaluate your day.
In this time of Crisis,
provide the right Leadership at home. Know your tendency based on the 5 Gears and see how to make a proper
adjustment. Plan to be present and productive, especially with those you care
about.
Gabriel Odhiambo Achayo is a Leadership, Life
and Growth Coach, certified by Life forming Leadership Coach
(www.lifeformingcoach.com). He also is a Certified Guide at GiANT
Worldwide (www.Giant.tv/start/liberate) and is the current
Country Coordinator for the Africa Youth Leadership Forum (AYLF), Kenya Chapter
www.aylfkenya.org.
