With all the recent election commotion, the pandemic, and perhaps other professional and personal struggles, you may be feeling just a tad bit distracted from your leadership responsibilities.​

Join the crowd. According to a Harris Poll conducted by the American Psychological Association, 68% of Americans say the election alone has been a source of significant stress. Invariably, even the most disciplined leaders have found themselves abnormally distracted and discouraged as of late, which at Management Action Programs (MAP), tells us two important things. To lead effectively:

1) Leaders need to take care of themselves for their own wellbeing and to be mentally and physically remain present for their people.

2) Leaders must stay the course, continuing to execute against goals and empowering their people to do the same.

Easier said than done, right? Right. And yet, we can choose to look at these times as a test rather than solely a source of stress. To help make that shift in perspective, try the following tools and tips:

Manage your worries. Make a list of things you can control and those you cannot. Prioritize the list of what’s controllable, then develop an action plan around those items. Review and update it daily until you feel you can shift to a weekly review.

Adopt a “What’s the goal” mindset. With every start of the day, meeting, project, and even task, ask and define upfront “What’s the goal?” Push this thinking out into your culture, looking for opportunities to coach direct reports by asking them, “What’s the goal?” Discontinue whatever activities or efforts have no value or purpose—or that don’t align with what we at MAP call “The Vital Few,” those vital few activities that drive the majority of results.

Track your goals. The goals you’ve set for your business (whether annual, monthly, weekly, etc.) can literally anchor restless thoughts and worries if you make it a habit to revisit those goals regularly. Accountability systems, like the MAP Management System™, can give you needed structure. What’s more, in using accountability tech tools, like the MAPapp, accountability can literally be at your fingertips. Sure, it’s important to get together with your team (whether in person or virtually) for check-ins around goals, but technology tools like goal trackers amplify awareness around real-time performance, enabling everyone to make decisions and take action faster than ever.

Tap your talent. Whether setting, executing, tracking or taking other action against your goals, involve your people and teams as often as you can. Assuming you’ve got the right people in the rights seats, these talented, skilled employees want and should contribute to building and driving accountability within the organization. This creates engagement; and engagement gets results.

Expect rough waters. With goal-setting, that classic “just do it attitude” kicks you into action. But it can get you into trouble if you expect smooth sailing from there. Problems will keep popping up and you and your people will struggle at times. Expect it to better prepare and manage it. Work with your team to create basic but thoughtful contingency plans to swiftly respond when anything goes south. Share and make all such plans accessible to your team.

The MAPapp – Accountability at Your Fingertips – is coming soon! Stay tuned!