BECOME A STORM WARRIOR

With the advent of what we now commonly refer to as the gig economy, more people are freelancing their services and working alone in their home spaces or alone in common professional workspaces without a team around them. There is no respite at the water cooler to swap stories, exchange ideas, or talk about the latest Netflix release. In fact, the social isolation and consequent loneliness of the solopreneur is so rampant that some experts argue that it is a large contributor to the failure of many these solo entrepreneurial businesses. Many teams who typically work in an office are getting a taste of this isolation during the global pandemic. Heeding the lessons from the storms to find the power in my own vulnerability while serving my community is how I became my own rescuer. In doing so, I overcame the despair in the aftermath and began to live with more purpose and greater capacity to be of service in the world. Become a Storm Warrior so you can too.  Try this: Find like-minded, similarly situated people who share your life or business circumstances. Create a mastermind group that meets regularly, keeping the group small enough to manage and set clear guidelines about active, non-judgmental listening.1. Becoming Your Own Storm Warrior ▶ Think about a situation from your past where you chose to go it alone and prolonged or worsened your situation. Who did you burden by your choice? What could you have done differently to get the support you needed? 2. This is Not a Drill ▶ Think about storms you have weathered in the past. Now, in preparing for future storms, create a checklist of things, people and steps you need to consider or prepare for. 3. The Catastrophe after the Catastrophe ▶ Think back to the Category 5 storms each of you mentioned that you have weathered. Ask each other what worked and what you needed but didn’t get. 4. The Seven Barometers of Resilience ▶ What has kept you going and motivated in tough situations? 5. Discover How to Create Your Float Plan ▶ Ask members of your team to identify the single skill that would make the biggest impact on the performance of each member in their role. 6. Harness the Power of the Category 5 Storm ▶ Ask people who know you to give you their perception of you under normal circumstances, moderately stressful circumstances and under extremely stressful circumstances. How does this compare with your self-perception? 7. Manage the Catastrophe after the Catastrophe ▶ Identify some tools that you can implement within your organization to keep your team calm and for conflict resolution. 8. Develop a Category 5 Leadership Style ▶ Ask each team member to articulate your company’s vision. How does this align to your vision as a leader? 9. Build Your Tribe to Weather Any Storm ▶ Brainstorm ways you can magnify the comfort zone of you and your team. 10. Keep the Emergency Channel Open ▶ What is it that drives how you respond to information? Think about different situations and how you responded. What does this say about your behavioral style? 11. Commit to a Course ▶ Do you currently have any decision-making models in place? If so, what are they? If not, brainstorm ideas. 12. Homecoming ▶ What can you do to connect with people who are in similar circumstances? ▶ What can you do to reach out to someone who is experiencing their own Category 5 storm?