I know. I know. If you're like me you may be tired of hearing about the coronavirus or COVID 19 emergency. You may just want to quarantine yourself for the next 14 days with a case of wine (or your favorite beverage), great food, lots of toilet paper and binge watch ALL of your shows for the next two weeks. 

However, if you still have to work in this temporary new normal fueled by COVID 19, I wanted to share some thoughts with you on how to effective manage yourself, your people (if you're in a leadership position) and your residents during this crisis. 

Fear Is Driving the Bus Right Now

The first thing to understand is that for most people, fear is really driving the bus right now. Fear of getting the virus. Fear of gathering together. Fear of losing income. Fear of not being able to pay rent. Fear of not being able to find childcare while their kids are home and parents still have to go to work. Fear of going to the bathroom only to find there is no toilet paper! And yes, the fear of dying. 

So, if you're dealing with fear from your residents and/or from your people here are some tips:

Don't Minimize-Empathize

We are all dealing with this crisis in many different ways. On my social media feeds this morning I have friends telling all of us to RELAX and have not changed any of their plans, while I have other friends who are telling all of us to hunker down at home for the next two weeks and not to interact with ANYONE!

Incidentally, some of these friends are now fighting with each other on social media on who is "right." Look, I'm not a doctor, I don't play one on TV, so I can't tell you the right thing to do in your situation. What I can tell you though is if you're trying to manage people through a crisis start by NOT minimizing their fears. 

Avoid statements like:

• It's not that big of a deal
• You shouldn't feel afraid
• You're blowing this way out of proportion

Rather you want to empathize with people's fears with simple statements like:

• I can see why you're concerned
• It is crazy isn't it?
• I'm worried about all of the things going on too

Providing empathy to people simply means giving them PERMISSION to have their feelings and experiences. When they feel that permission from you they feel SAFER and will TRUST you more. This is what you want to build a foundation of safety and trust, especially in these chaotic times. 

NOTE: This does NOT mean that YOU have to AGREE with them!! You can think someone is being way too dramatic or fearful-and you certainly have the right to your own opinions! The key principle here is the importance of separating what you may feel personally from what is prudent professionally. 

Don't Add Fuel Either

At the same time you don't want to be adding unnecessary fuel to the fire! When people around you are afraid, they need a calming, steady voice in the midst of the storm. So, before you share rumor or unverified information, double check that it's true. Don't criticize people who feel differently than you. Don't purchase 1,000 rolls of toilet paper if you don't need to! (Yes, this TP thing has got me riled up!)

So, even as you're empathizing with someone's fears, you may need to avoid adding anything to their already extensive fears-especially if it's unverified and/or not relevant to the situation. 

My friend, if your internal world is chaotic and uncertain-I get it! Mine is to a degree too. I've taken some financial hits because of this crisis and my wife and I are trying to figure some things out. I'm having to manage myself and my emotions through this situation too. The point here is you can make such a positive and powerful impact by NOT adding more fuel to an already raging fire. 

Control What You Can-Surrender the Rest

There is so much stuff happening that you have no control over. When fear and worry start to crowd back in pause and think about what you have control over. In the areas where you do have control, take reasonable and prudent action if needed. 

I know of some communities that have stopped leaving snacks out for people. Maybe you need to cancel some resident events. Maybe you'll want to put extra disinfectant wipes in the fitness center and have the team clean the machines more often than normal. (NOTE: The previous paragraph was in the original version of this post. Of course, many things have changed in the days since I originally wrote this!)

Or maybe you'll want to give extra breaks to your team, if you find the emotional toll is starting to build, especially if they're personally affected by the crisis. 

Perhaps you'll want to determine NOW what to do if:

• A resident can't pay rent due to financial problems brought on by this emergency
• A resident has or is suspected of having COVID 19
• A team member is exhibiting symptoms of COVID 19
• A team member is concerned about their own health and well-being
• The unexpected happens
• And: How you will professionally and effectively communicate your actions and responses to all of the different aspects of this situation to your residents and team members. 

The key principle is this: Surrender what you don't have control over. Let it go. Don't waste any time on what you don't have control over. By doing this you'll have more time, energy and effort to do the things you can do. I'm a praying person so in this time I am praying for the courage to change the things I can change and the ability to accept what I can't change and the wisdom to know the difference.

From a leadership perspective, keeping people focused on what they can control helps to reduce fear and build safety and trust. 

Lastly, I want to say this:

• Be patient and understanding with everyone
• Offer empathy and compassion (even when you feel differently)
• Show and offer more grace to others than normal
• SMILE
• Don't allow someone else's fears to become your fears
• Create your crisis action plan
• Be flexible
• Operate from peace not fear
• Take care of you! (Eat well. Get exercise. Get 8 hours of sleep. Do things that bring you joy.)
• Save some TP for the rest of us, will ya???

If you do these things and the things I've mentioned in this post, I believe you'll go a long way in managing the people side of the COVID 19 emergency well. 

We're in this together, friends!