Effective leaders learn fairly quickly to develop a range of leadership styles that they can access depending on the situation. Although there are times when barking orders and issuing commands is not only appropriate but highly effective, there are also times when doing the same thing will only create resistance and chaos. After more than a year and a half of living in crisis and panic mode, people are exhausted, burned out, and dropping like flies. Here are three tips for leading during the Great Resignation. 

Don’t push

There is a time for pushing people beyond their perceived limits, but this is not it. Right now, it would be wise to simply assume that almost everyone is reaching a breaking point of some kind, and some are closer than others. If you push your people too hard, you just might not ever see them again. Conversely, you still need people to show up and do at least the most important parts of their job. Instead of pushing your people to perform at 100% or beyond, see if you can find where their 60%, 70% or 80% is and see if they can accomplish that. After all, 70% is still 70% better than nothing. 

Inspire people to make it through the day

There are times to dream big and make big, hairy, audacious goals. This is most likely not that time. Right now, it is a major victory for many to just make it through the day. While this is certainly a time to motivate and inspire people, be careful that you aren’t trying to motivate or inspire them to do a task so large it just inspires hopelessness instead. 

Make sure you are choosing the right things to focus on

In earlier seafaring days, when a captain was trying to navigate a ship through a raging storm, throwing any unnecessary items overboard to lighten the ship’s load was common. Businesses, companies, and leaders have to understand that we are navigating a global storm right now, and those who survive will be those who got rid of everything that didn’t matter and focused all of their energies and efforts on the few remaining things that do matter.

The future of the great resignation

While individuals are leaving their positions for better opportunities, the future of this trend is unknown. The lack of employees could lead some companies to consider outsourcing the work to other countries. This option will significantly cut down on the costs associated with having full time employees on staff. Only time will tell what options and other ideas companies will come up with to replace lost employees as the great resignation continues.

This isn’t a trend that will be going away anytime soon. Check back for updates as well as keep an eye on the national news in your area.