You're faced with tough decisions impacting your organization. How do you manage the emotional toll?

As an executive, I’ve been through both dramatic growth and painful downsizing. Rest and recovery is critical. I’ve always made exercise and daily meditation a consistent ritual. With my client base, we often come back to that. How are they making time to replenish their energy?

Bite into that onion. Tough choices are part of leadership. Pretending they don't make your eyes water? That's a fast track to burnout. Your emotional wellbeing isn't separate from leadership - it's the fuel. Respect it. Remember, you're impacting real people, not just moving chess pieces. That matters. Connect with your team. Not in formal corporate sessions, but through genuine dialogues. Vulnerability isn't weakness - it's your secret weapon. When you acknowledge your own emotions, you demonstrate authentic leadership. It transforms employees into committed allies. Bottom line: Don't run from the emotional toll. Use it to inform decisions, fuel empathy, and strengthen connections. That's how you turn tough choices into defining moments.

Acknowledging stress and the emotional toll in the face of tough decisions is crucial for maintaining well-being and team cohesion. Start by openly recognizing the difficulty of the situation, both to yourself and your team. Encourage a culture of transparency where individuals feel safe to express their emotions and concerns. Share your own experiences and coping strategies to show empathy and solidarity. Providing access to resources like counselling or stress management workshops can also help. Remember, acknowledging emotions is not a sign of weakness but a step towards building a resilient and supportive environment.

It's my humble opinion that asking for help demonstrates vulnerability, which I consider a strength. It reflects a high level of self-awareness and emotional intelligence. This is what leaders do—they seek support. In the end, leaders are people too, and they don't have all the answers. By seeking support, they include and engage with others, which can lead to more creativity within teams and foster a culture of collaboration and innovation. There are direct benefits to seeking help.

This is particularly important as the leader in a change process. I see this in many organisations that I get called into to clean up the cultural fallout after a poorly managed change process. Many organisations hire in a change consultant who manages the structural changes but they don’t manage the people process around the change. It is the No.1 reason that change processes fail. Change takes its toll on everyone and as the leader, it will take a big toll on you. Having the right executive coach supporting you can really make the difference in achieving a successful change process rather than implementing a culture killing change. They need to be the right mix of psychological expertise blended with business acumen.

Often the best thing a leader can do for themselves and their organization is to seek help in the form of a coach that has no specific connections to the organization or team. A well trained coach can ask the right questions, listen to you and guide you to a better perspective. From this place you can gain clarity and insight to move forward with success.

To reflect objectively under pressure, start by pausing and calming your mind with deep breathing exercises. Focus on gathering and reviewing factual information, avoiding emotional assumptions. Seek diverse perspectives from trusted colleagues or mentors to comprehensively understand the situation. These practices will help you maintain clarity and balance in high-pressure situations.

Organisational change is challenging, people's lives are involved, it is critical in these situations to be able to step back, allow space for emotion and balance, treating people with dignity and respect, and knowing that these changes are critical to set the business up for success, or sometimes even survival. Communicating the end state in important and doing this in an empathetic way, will help people move through their own emotional journey.

I believe leaders shall enhance their decision-making capabilities and develop a more balanced, objective approach to the challenges, like: 'Diverse Input': Gather insights and perspectives from a variety of sources to mitigate individual biases. This could include feedback from multiple stakeholders or assembling diverse panels for advice & suggestions. 'Reflective Practices': Encourage professionals to engage in reflective practices like journaling or structured debriefings after major decisions or projects, focusing on what was learned and what could be improved.

Según mi experiencia la práctica habitual de la autoreflexión en directivos brilla por su ausencia. Y sin embargo es una de las competencias cruciales que deberían alimentar frecuentemente. Espacios de silencio y reflexión profunda para entender sus patrones de pensamiento, acción y reacción emocional, qué los alimentan y como modificarlos si no les aportan lo que necesitan. Autoconocimiento como base de su liderazgo.

Follow the 3M Approach - Mindfulness, Meditation & Maintaining balance. Engaging in activities that rejuvenate your mind and spirit helps manage the emotional toll. By taking care of your mental health, you build the resilience necessary to handle the pressures of difficult decisions and lead with clarity and confidence.

In these situations, you have to remember all affected parties, empathy is required for those who are potentially impacted, support is required for those in roles that have to deliver difficult messages (often for the first time)- (it never gets easier)and the often forgotten group of people who are the "survivors" ie the people who will still be there after the changes. These people will immediately feel relief (it was not me) and then often feel guilt as they see friends and colleagues experiencing forced change. Communication and support is required to help these employees, move to a place of acceptance and back in to the level of performance. Time and patience is key, remember everyone handles these things differently.

Prioritising self-care at work is the key component of improving productivity. Imagine a machine without any maintenance, the output will decrease over the period of time. Once you start taking good care of the machine it will improve overall production. Similarly prioritising self-care at work will boost employee well being. Simple ways to improve productivity at the workplace: 1. Power nap for 30 mins after lunch at the respective work desk 2. Gym benefits for the employees. So that they can take care of their physical health at workplace 3. Saloon benefits for female employees, will help them to rejuvenate and be more confident at work Just be supportive and be empathetic with each other can also add value to self-care.

Prioritizing self-care is crucial when dealing with the emotional toll of tough decisions. This means ensuring that there is time set aside for activities that promote well-being, such as exercise, hobbies, or spending time with loved ones. Adequate sleep, a balanced diet, and regular physical activity are foundational to maintaining mental and physical health. Self-care also includes setting boundaries to prevent burnout, such as taking breaks and not overcommitting. By taking care of oneself, it becomes easier to maintain the energy and focus needed to navigate challenging situations effectively.

Cuidar la salud emocional en el trabajo es fundamental para mantener un entorno laboral saludable y productivo. Promover el equilibrio entre trabajo y vida personal. Fomentar la comunicación abierta. Ofrecer apoyo emocional. Entornos positivos. Reconocer el esfuerzo. Formación en manejo del estrés. Espacios de trabajo saludables. Y decir todo con una sonrisa :)

In my book ‘How to Heal a Workplace’ I outline many strategies to improve flexibility in the management of your people. It is important to reflect on the hard boundaries we draw in business and ask ourselves if they are truly necessary. Post-pandemic the issue of flexible management comes up a lot because we often want to ‘see’ that people are in the office being productive. However, the most productive staff are the ones who feel that you are generous with your flexibility. Give them time to attend their child’s school awards ceremony during the day and you will have someone who will stay up at night to ensure that your presentation is finished before your important meeting tomorrow. We work harder for someone who is generous.

Embrace flexibility and be open to adjusting your path as needed. It's okay to pivot and try a new approach because it's all part of the journey. Life is full of twists and turns, and what seems like a straight line today might become a winding road tomorrow. By staying flexible, you can adapt to new circumstances, learn from your experiences, and grow as a person. So, don't be too hard on yourself if your plans change, instead, see it as an opportunity to explore new possibilities and find a better fit. Embrace the uncertainty and go with the flow because you never know where it might lead you!"

What I find to be useful is adopting a flexible approach to problem-solving during the change management process. Flexibility allows organizations to adapt to unforeseen challenges, accommodate the diverse needs of employees, and create a more supportive and responsive environment. Flexibility in change management also involves being open to new ideas, adjusting plans as necessary, and responding to feedback from employees. This approach contrasts with rigid, top-down management styles that can exacerbate stress and resistance. Continuous Improvement: Regular evaluations of the effectiveness of change initiatives and willingness to make adjustments can ensure that strategies remain relevant and effective.

Once you've made the decision, create a clear and actionable plan for implementation. Having a concrete roadmap reduces uncertainty and helps manage any lingering anxieties. Remember, even the best decisions might require adjustments as situations unfold. Be flexible and willing to adapt your plan based on new information or unforeseen circumstances.

Indem wir akzeptieren, dass unsere Entscheidung eventuell falsch ist und somit ein mögliches Scheitern vorwegnehmen, überlisten wir unser Ego und bleiben offen für neue Entscheidungen, die unseren Kurs korrigieren, wenn es notwendig ist.

Create a mental health routine for yourself, like brushing your teeth, you want to practice mindfulness/breathing techniques/compassion/QiGong/Yoga/Walk in Nature - for at least 15/20 minutes a day - or at least 5 minutes if you cannot every day practice for long. Pause and Reset very often. Pause, breath in and out slowly and deeply and check in with the body. Whenever something unpleasant, such as an unpleasant email, conflict, and so forth, afterwards, make sure you MOVE (walk fast, jump up and down, shake, run) - remember anything unpleasant triggers the release of cortisol, the stress hormone, whose task is to have you fight or flight - so MOVEMENT, not contracting and holding your breath.....try it out and let me know how it goes :-)

Any strategy, regardless of form or shape, might help as its very existence and availability for us to fall back on it when in trouble serves as a rubric and a balm offering a semblance of control over chaos and unpredictability.

Develop healthy coping mechanisms to manage stress. Maybe you find journaling or mindfulness practices helpful, or perhaps you prefer spending time in nature or engaging in physical activity. Explore different strategies and find what works best for you. Having tools at your disposal equips you to manage the emotional rollercoaster. Setting small, achievable goals can provide a sense of progress and accomplishment, even in the midst of larger challenges. Additionally, maintaining a support system and engaging in regular self-reflection can help in navigating difficult times more effectively. By cultivating a toolbox of coping strategies, it becomes easier to manage stress and maintain a balanced approach to decision-making.

Taking breaks to connect with nature can significantly enhance your emotional well-being. Whether it's a short walk in a park, gardening, or simply spending time outside, nature has a restorative effect. These breaks provide a mental reset, helping you gain perspective and clarity. Regularly incorporating time in nature into your routine can reduce stress levels, improve mood, and increase overall resilience, making it easier to tackle leadership challenges when you return to work.

Removing emotional attachments to outcomes, removing emotional attachments to people, places and things, whilst still having empathy in difficult situations and challenging times, learning to accept what is and to observe rather than judge, all of these skills need to be developed in the majority of human beings, as they are developed a culture of psychological safety can be created.

Learn from the experience: Reflect on the tough decisions and the impact they had on the organisation. Identify lessons learned and areas for improvement. This can help you grow as a leader and make future tough decisions with more confidence. Remember, it is normal to experience emotional challenges when making tough decisions. By implementing these strategies, you can navigate through them in a healthier and more effective way.

Never do anything that will keep you awake a night. However beneficial to the organisation. Make sure every decision is grounded in simple humanity and kindness. Even the closure of a centre or operation can be done in a way that respects people. Treat people as you would like to be treated and the emotional toll of difficult decisions will be minimised.

Practice pts 1-6 - those are must do's The following has helped me immensely: a) Introspect: why is this happening, can i do anything differently? b) Believe in Self: must have! don't let momentary setbacks define yourself c) Play on your Strengths: helps to enhance your performance and counter the negative thoughts d) Be human(e): executing difficult tasks may be work requirement; doing it humanly is self choice e) Be Optimistic & Believe in the Best: Such situations drain out positive energies; must not let that happen. Believing that this shall pass and whatever best can happen will happen helps. Also believe that you are not alone in this. If situations are overwhelming, may be talk to a confidant or find a coach - it helps.

Gerenciar o custo emocional da equipe durante decisões difíceis é fundamental para manter a moral e o bem-estar dos colaboradores. Aqui estão algumas estratégias para lidar com essa situação: 1. Comunicação Transparente 2. Empatia e Suporte Emocional 3. Envolvimento da Equipe 4. Liderança Visível e Acessível 5. Cultura de Resiliência 6. Reconhecimento e Apreciação 7. Foco no Bem-Estar 8. Reforço de Propósito e Valores 9. Planos de Mitigação 10. Feedback Contínuo Aplicar essas estratégias pode ajudar a gerenciar o custo emocional da equipe, mantendo a moral alta e promovendo um ambiente de trabalho saudável e resiliente.

Be honest and tell people what is happening, but maintain a stoic approach to the facts. Even if what is happening is outside your control and you are not happy about it, try not to let your emotions poison the message; be pragmatic. Lastly, genuinely care; people can tell when you truly care about what is happening and about them.