Experiencing an interruption can cause unfortunate situations and crises to arise, and dealing with those with confidence and understanding is a necessary part of leadership. Today on IntHerrupt, our host Linda is joined by Eliza Gomez, a seasoned professional at navigating crises as they come up with experience in government, private, non-profit, and higher education sectors.
Crises come up in all sorts of fashions.
- As a leader, it's essential we know how to identify and navigate them.
- Growing up in South Florida, Eliza was familiar with storms, lightning, and hurricanes. Living in preparedness was simply everyday life.
- Eliza was a college literature major, so she took to journalism and public relations. She later transitioned to events management, corporate sales, and other communications special projects before joining local government.
- There, she worked in the health and human services, dealing with populations with special needs like the homeless, HIV+, and youth groups.
Handling her largest crisis:
- Dealing with a terminal illness and the loss of life and family members, accessing services you don’t necessarily think or prepare for like Hospice.
- When team members deal with death or personal crises, it impacts the entire team.
How can leaders prepare for these circumstances?
- Be sensitive and aware of what’s happening around you.
- We bring our stressors with us to work, and other people are influenced by that environmental factor you introduce.
- Have open lines of communication (formal and informal) to make sure everyone is okay.
- Reach out to people, and don’t assume you know how they’re feeling.
- Have leadership reinforce topics of preparedness and personal responsibility.
- The silver lining of the pandemic was the transformation of remote work. We can manage our time independently, which reduces costs and adds value through flexibility.
- Be mindful and aware. Have the conversation sooner rather than later.
Helping others in crisis:
- When someone is affected by a situation, they don’t perceive someone normally; it’s through a filter or lens.
- Communicate with them - check the baseline. What are the quickest steps to get them in a reframed mindset to process what’s happening?
- As you identify those unmet needs, work with them and your leadership team to see what solutions are available.
- Making an effort to help can go a long way to helping another person through a tough time.
For more information and content from Eliza, connect with her on LinkedIn. Do you have stories to tell? Connect with Linda to share them. This podcast is produced by TSE Studios. Check out other podcasts by TSE Studios, including this episode’s sponsor, The Sales Evangelist, helping new and struggling sellers close more deals and achieve their sales goals. Subscribe to the IntHERrupt Podcast so you won’t miss a single show. Find us on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, and Stitcher. Audio created by Ryan Rasmussen Productions.
