What are good areas for leaders to focus on in the midst of ongoing challenging times? I am grateful to be able to contribute this article to Forbes and share five areas to support leaders as they navigate forward.
As April 2020 opens, and the COVID-19/Corona virus pandemic has unleashed its global impact, Christy Geiger and David Phillips consider the 5 P’s that leaders need to focus on during this time. Whether you are leading yourself, your family, your business … these 5 areas of focus help you to tap your superpowers as a leader and person.
There are three chemicals in the body that can help boost our mood and positive emotion when we are down or stressed. Studies show when these levels are low we can feel down. There are things you can do to naturally boost these “happy” levels daily. First is the hormone Oxytocin*, which increases when we have positive social interactions and connections. Second, are neurotransmitters; Dopamine and Serotonin*, which are produced by your body and used in your brain. Dopamine is connected to our senses, motivation and feeling good. Serotonin is a natural chemical that supports many functions in the body. It is sometimes referred to as the “happy chemical” because helps produce a healthy mental and emotional state and stimulates well-being and happiness.
When we are in situations where there are greater uncertainty and stress, it is common for worry and fear to increase. When we are not around other humans because our brains are actually wired for relationship and connection (introvert or not), we can feel sadness and loneliness. These feelings are all in the category of “social pain”.
Leaders can use the SCARF model to help them communicate in a way that helps people feel more secure and ensures what they say does not activate threat (fear and mistrust). The SCARF model has five domains: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness.
