Sometimes we all have a week of ups and downs. The week following Brexit may have been one of those for you and it certainly was for me!
An unbelievable week
Friday I woke up to the news we were leaving the EU and then headed off to Amsterdam for a friend’s 50th Birthday weekend. Then the England football team exited the Euros on Monday night (let’s not go there!). My Mum was admitted to A&E on Tuesday (thankfully better now). I was contacted about running a training course in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Thursday I got shortlisted as Entrepreneur of the Year for the Chamber Business Awards. Then Friday I got a call to appear on Nottingham Radio talking about Leadership! (which I did on Tuesday morning this week).
Maybe the last couple of weeks have had their ups and downs for you too post Brexit, especially ups and downs psychologically.
Leaving the EU
Whichever way you voted, the decision has been made. The democratic decision is to leave the EU and we all watch the events unfold, as the impact is felt politically, economically and in the financial markets.
What you can influence
It is important at this time to keep a strong focus on what we can all influence most easily, as leaders, at work and in a wider sense. Stress can often be heightened by worrying about aspects we cannot directly influence as an individual. Now is the time to keep a close handle on what actions you can personally take to influence your world – both private and business. A sense of personal empowerment will come from taking small steps that are within your control.
Knee jerk reactions
With the newspapers and TV news layering on the negativity, it is also important not to over react. For those of us who remember the onset of the last recession, it was a time of increasing negativity. There were serious events, but in my opinion the negativity was very unhelpful. Businesses and organisations reacted quickly to make cuts in many ways and this fuelled the growing crisis.
Beliefs
“Beliefs” impact on “potential” which impacts on “actions” which impacts on “results” and this feeds back into “beliefs”.
This belief cycle can be influential in a positive way, but can turn to a “doom loop” when beliefs are skewed too much in a negative way. This can fuel our negative self-talk and drive us to make moves that are too reactive and short term.
It is important for us all to keep a strong sense of awareness and keep our perspective of the situation in check (I deleted Sky News App from my phone to reduce the negativity hitting my perceptive filters!).
Our collective psychology
We may not be able to influence certain events directly, but there is power in our collective psychology. Whichever way you voted, there is a need to see the positives. How can you market your business differently in the changing climate? Can you make different investments? How can you support other people to help them through the transition?
There is a need for individual and collective resilience. This will not only help us through the changes but a collective positive mindset can also have some impact on the outcomes as the various developments unfold.
The campaign has been divisive and has left many wounds. Our individual and collective mindset will be a key factor on how events unfold post Brexit.
If you need help in developing a strong resilient mind set, you can join us at our PI Leadership Discovery Workshop on August 22nd.
Or please feel free to call us on 0115 903 3133 or email at lead@theleadershiptrainingworkshop.com and we can discuss how we can help you in any way.
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