David: Employers are scrambling, waking up at 3 a.m. in a cold sweat, if they sleep at all.  But through this, we need calm leadership.  Employees, staff, vendors, everyone needs that calm, steady, hand on the tiller.

 

To help us with the discussion is Liza Provenzano.  Liza is the CEO of Spark HR, a human resources firm that focuses on helping Canadian businesses to become more successful through the

 

performance of aligned, capable, and engaged teams.  Liza is an experienced human resource professional bringing 20 years of practical HR perspectives and insights to the solutions that Spark HR offers their clients.

 

Welcome, Liza.

 

Liza: Hi, David.  Thank you.

 

David: So Liza, you must have some clients that are clinging to the edge of the building, they are, you know, really, they are so nervous, they’re scared.  And then through all this, they need to show calm for their employees.  What are you hearing from your clients?

 

Liza: That’s a good description, David, that this is a very unsettling time for everyone.  It’s an unsettling time for team members, and it’s the same for leaders.  Leaders are human, too, so there is a nervousness, an angst, an uncertainty, and no one is immune to that.

 

What I’m hearing from clients, though, and what I’m seeing with the clients whom I have the privilege to work with, is that despite the challenges, and the complexities, and the ambiguity, and the pace of the issue of the pandemic and how things have unfolded, they are working hard.  They are being calm.  They are thinking through the implications for their business, short term and long term, and they are caring about their teams.  That’s what I’m seeing with the people that I’m working with.

 

David: Liza, what recommendations, suggestions, do you have for people that have staff.  Staff are nervous, they don’t know what’s going on.  Do I have a job, do I not have a job?  Am I going to need to rely on a lot less money?  And unfortunately, sometimes the business leaders don’t know the answers to the question because they don’t know what’s coming at them from one minute to the next.  As you say, it’s fast and furious, even the information.  So how do you suggest that they communicate with their teams?

 

Liza: There’s a lot of this that is being figured out as we go.  I think the way to communicate is to communicate frequently, to communicate clearly, and to communicate with authenticity and empathy.  And underpinning all of that is to be communicating honestly.  So let’s be open, and let’s share all of the information that we have, and what we do know, and let’s also be upfront about what we don’t know, and what we are trying to figure out.  Let’s get back to people with answers as quickly as we can and follow through with the commitments we make about the information that we can share.

 

So I think to communicate frequently, honestly, clearly and authentically would be the way to approach communication.  Just keep talking to people.  Especially now when people, in many cases, people are dispersed as people are working from home more often then before is to make sure that there are regular touch points there with people.  And then for those workplaces that are still operating, to be visible and to be communicating regularly with folks face to face in places where you can, appropriately, and also honouring the social distancing requirements.  So we’ve got to get out there and be connected with our teams in any way that we can be.

 

David: We’re speaking with Liza Provenzano from Spark HR.  Liza, some leaders believe you’ve got to fake it through this, that I can’t let my staff know that I’m worried about this, that that is the right approach.  I’m not sure if that’s the right way to do it.  What do you think?

 

Liza: I’m with you on that, David.  I wouldn’t advise that is the approach to take.  When I say communicating authentically, I’ll elaborate on that point a bit more.  It’s okay to, well, to show, you know, your own uncertainty.  It’s okay to show some vulnerability as a leader.  It’s okay to say to folks you know what?  I don’t know the answer, and yes, I’m worried, too.  Sharing of oneself in a time of crisis lets others know that, yeah, as leaders, we’re human, too, and we’re experiencing some of the same things, and I get it, and I hear you, and I see you, and I’m there with you.

 

And at the same time, we also can communicate what we are working on, and what we are hoping for for the future, and what we are believing the possibilities could be.  And we still can communicate our sense of confidence that we can work through the challenges that we are facing together, and that we can get to the other side of it, even if we don’t know all the answers, and even if the emotions are really tough to navigate, that we can connect and come together, and we can deal with what we are facing.

 

So I think that is the other part of the message for a leader to consider, and to say, what is it that I want my team to know right now?  It’s okay for me to admit that, yeah, this is a challenge, and we’re struggling our way through it, too, but that we can get to the other side of it.  So to be real about it.  And, you know, part of that realness, too, is also to acknowledge the emotions of other people, and to display that empathy to the emotions that the team may be feeling.  The team is expressing angst, stress, anxiety, whatever those emotions are is to hear that out, and to give those emotions some space.  Because it’s really hard to get to talking about the things that we have to do to get through this, if we don’t give space for those emotions to be expressed.

 

David: I know a number of leaders are worried about a lot of things.  They worry about a lot of things all the time, but when I posed this question to individuals, and for the most part, when I asked them what do you worry about every day when you wake up?  And eventually, in the conversation, and if it’s not number one, it’s number two or number three, said, I worry about my people every day.  That every day I go to work, and I realize that I’m responsible for five lives, ten lives, a thousand lives, 40,000 lives.  The decisions I make affect the lives of every one of the people on my team.  And I think that may be what is one of the biggest stressors right now for leaders is knowing I’m responsible for these people, and I have to do right by them.

 

Liza: You know, David, we are seeing noble work by government officials who I’m sure are working around the clock to get the programs and the safety nets in place that our government leaders are talking about.  We’re seeing healthcare professionals who are doing so much in terms of noble work in responding to this crisis.  Another type of noble work is the work of business owners and leaders in workplaces who are responsible in their decisions for people who are employed in organizations.  The decisions that are being made are far-reaching for families, and so what you are hearing there is the weight of these decisions.  And it shows how significant the work of business owners is in our communities, in terms of what they are doing with supporting families and providing employment.

 

David: Liza, final words of advice for the business leaders that are listening in on what they should be doing right now in order to help their staff.

 

Liza: A few things I would sum up this way.  So we talked about communication, we talked about showing empathy and giving space for emotions.  Get people involved in the solutions.  Yes, the decision-making may stop at your door, get input from people, and get people involved in executing those decisions.  Make the decisions you need to make.  Think about what is important to the people whom you serve and make the decisions that need to be made in order to manage through this challenge.  If all the information isn’t there, make the best decisions you can with the information that you’ve got.  And if you are not making a decision, just be sure that it’s not the fear of making the wrong decision, and that any decision that is deferred is deferred intentionally and with deliberate thought.

 

And I think the last thing is to make sure that, as a leader, you take care of yourself.  To know yourself and the things that you need to do to manage your own energy so that you can be there for your families, for your loved ones, and for the people in your business.  Whether taking care of yourself is making sure that you get rest, or you are eating right, or take a break and go for a walk, whatever those meaningful acts are, those practices that help you restore your energy, don’t put those aside because now you need them more than ever as you lead your team through this.

David: Liza, thanks so much for being with us.  Liza Provenzano from Spark HR.

 

Liza: Thank you, David.