3 Immediate Leadership Steps to Take When You Feel Overwhelmed

Even the best leaders get overwhelmed sometimes. What about the rest of us? Certainly there are times when we do not feel up to the task at hand…when it is more than we can manage.

Situational leadership training professionals thankfully recognize this and offer some help to regain your footing in a three-step process.

1. Take a break. Stop doing what is frustrating you and take a deep breath. There is nothing to be gained (and much to lose) by persevering down a track you can’t navigate well or with an unknown outcome. Don’t waste your physical and emotional energy.
2. Evaluate the situation. Think through what is standing in your way. Are you lacking skills, time or support? Figure out just what you need to move forward toward a clear goal.
3. Pull the necessary resources together. Gather up what you need to succeed—more training, a shift of deadlines, executive backing—and, with renewed energy and an improved plan, proceed deliberately, confidently, and successfully.