The COVID-19 pandemic and the chaos that unfolded along with it challenged us all with a level of uncertainty that many of us thought we would never experience. While uncertainty is generally regarded unfavorably, the goal-seekers among us \u2013 those of us who remain focused on conquering the next goal, regardless of the odds \u2013 know that uncertainty can help steer us towards success. What\u2019s more, those of us who embrace it know it as part of a magical process.<\/p>\n

Throughout this pandemic, I\u2019ve been focused on helping my clients survive and thrive. As part of this process, I have asked them to reflect on the past 90 days. Although my clients work across various sectors \u2013 healthcare, education, private firms, and beyond \u2013 there are parallels in what they\u2019ve learned and that to which they have had to adjust. While the chaos and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic presented a challenge, universally, within this challenge, there is an excellent opportunity to grow, depending on your perspective. With an open, curious, questioning mind and a willingness to reflect, we can extract valuable lessons from difficult times. Reflection, of course, is key to this.<\/p>\n

As we all know, leaders are routinely judged on what they say and do \u2013 their leadership behaviors. These tendencies and associated actions, and how they are perceived, are magnified in a crisis. It can be as essential to assess a leaders\u2019 first 90 days in a new role as it is to evaluate his or her last 90 days of a crisis. You can even evaluate yourself, but to do this effectively, you need to understand what drives your behaviors.<\/p>\n

Behaviors<\/a> are influenced by many factors, including knowledge, underlying abilities, motivations, and more rooted personal tendencies. They are also influenced by the set of conditions and environment in which you operate. While normal working conditions allow leaders time and space to manage their responses, times of stress and crisis represent a set of circumstances in which rational thinking, judgments, and actions are often overridden by strong personal tendencies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The three questions that follow help you explore which personal tendencies may have surfaced during the pandemic, for better or for worse, and how they may have impacted the quality of your leadership and work. A focused, intentional reflection on these questions will help you identify opportunities to improve not only during times of stress and chaos but even as things return to normal.<\/p>\n