We have all been a part of an organization whose culture is going south. Undermining behavior, manipulation, lack of commitment, high turnover, and burnout are just a few of the problems that stem from a team of people that cannot trust one another. Trust has been proven, time and again, to enhance both teamwork and collaboration. The importance of building a team you can trust cannot be overstated. Groups that feel supported by trust will thrive and those that don’t will tear each other apart.

It’s all too easy to become distracted or waste time needed for work. This is especially true in a new world of working from home. In business, you are constantly being pulled in different directions. Often, you have multiple projects, and people, who need your attention at once. It can be overwhelming, and some can drown in it.  The key to managing your workload, and your sanity, is effective time management.  For consultants, time management looks a little bit different than for those with one job.  You wear multiple hats, you juggle multiple roles, and you need to think outside the box a little to effectively manage your time.

Imagine you are in a meeting and you are met with bad news about a project you are working on.  Something isn’t right, something has happened, someone lied about something - now you are stuck.  You have all these emotions going on.  You are upset, angry, frustrated, hurt, whatever.  However, now it’s time to move to the next meeting with another team on another project.  How do you put your emotions in check and pivot to the next task without lashing out unexpectedly for what seems like no reason? What you are really asking in any of these scenarios is: how do you deal with all the things, and all the emotions, all at once? The answer is, even in business, you need to compartmentalize.
 

They say not to bring your work home with you. Keep work at work and keep home at home, but how do you do that right now? You have been thrown into working from home. Schools are cancelled. Events are cancelled. Businesses are failing. It feels like every day you are scrambling through chaos for some semblance of order. Right now, your mental health is arguably more important than ever. But how do you balance work and home when work has come home and home has become work? Your company may be on the verge of failing. Your family may need all of your attention. How do you choose what to prioritize? When does the workday start or end and when does “at home” time begin?  

Running a successful business involves more than just the ability to run that business in the best of times. Running a successful business involves knowing how to run a business in the worst of times. What is the most important quality a business owner can have during the worst times? Strategy. Strategy and strategy execution are essential to keep your business running when it looks like all hope is lost.  Effective leaders can step in, assess a situation, and come up with a strategy for improvement or progress. What about in the times that it is more complicated? How are you supposed to be a strategic planner when the plan isn’t clear?