Sile Walsh Of ELIS Advantage: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Listening to employees. For example, don’t simply ask your employees questions but listen to the answers. When questions and concerns are based on consultations, check that this is what employees intended to convey and gauge if they think the proposed solutions to the problems or concerns are effective or not. No one knows the needs of your employees better than your employees themselves.
As part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Sile Walsh.
Sile Walsh has been working with organizations for over a decade now, specializing in strategic and inclusive leadership and organizational development. She is experienced in coaching senior leaders and middle managers across sectors including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, education, technology, and commerce within Ireland and internationally.
Sile has an international client base and speaks on leadership, inclusion, and coaching psychology. Sile guest lectured with University College Cork on both the master’s in Organizational Psychology and Personal and Management Coaching, is on the committee for Coaching Psychology with the Psychological Society of Ireland and is a senior board member for a private organization providing services on behalf of government agencies.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
I grew up in Ireland with an English accent and that didn’t go down well in the playground of rural Irish schools! I have two younger brothers and we did a small bit of moving around before I was 10. We then settled across the road from one of Ireland’s most famous restaurants and I spent my summers picking berries in their gardens for their kitchens.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
In the middle of presenting on reflective practice to 45 teachers in County Kerry Ireland, I literally tripped over a table and fell on my face.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I truly believe that success occurs with people, not despite people. Many people have contributed to my success along the way from previous bosses and coworkers to informal mentors and supervisors. The one that stands out to me for this article would be Margaret Archer, CEO of Futimis in Atlanta, operating all over the United States of America. Maggie is my aunt and has been a fundamental support and inspiration for the development of my business. She has encouraged and supported me, mostly though she has dished me some hard to hear words when I needed to hear them and has given me nudging when I most needed it in my business.
In addition to the person I am grateful for, I’d like to mention the type of support that has been invaluable to me and that I like to offer to others and encourage everyone reading this to attempt. The type of support that was golden to me and my work was “opportunity.” It was people allowing me to have experiences that I did not have yet to develop my capacity to do a role or fulfill a duty that I hadn’t previously fulfilled. This kind of support can be the difference between being interviewed or not for a promotion or a person’s ability to see their potential within their everyday lives. There are many people from the age of 11 who offered me opportunities to test my ability and develop myself. These have been irreplaceable moments in my career journey.
Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?
My vision was quite simple at the time. It was to do the work I loved and ensure that it had a positive impact on the world around me. This vision later bloomed to become more intentional and purpose-driven forms of impact such as discussing and encouraging leadership from a more inclusive, trauma-informed, and effective rather than harmful standpoint. From my experience, leadership can result in more harm than good when not intentionally designed to incorporate these inclusive and psychologically safe ideas and practices.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?
When I talk about leading a team, I often view it from an inclusive leadership perspective because this perspective engages the theory of high performance within teams while also conveying that inclusivity can create more innovative and creative outcomes through teamwork, which fosters a sense of belonging and value for everybody involved.
Over the last 24 months, I’ve worked with several leaders and teams to support effective leadership of teams as well as supporting team members during uncertain and difficult points. The most important takeaway that I’ve gotten from these experiences and from working across industries is that honesty and feedback are key, and that even when feedback being delivered isn’t ideal, if it is delivered in a way that is transparent and honest then team members are more likely to absorb it and accept it. The difficulty occurs when there isn’t a cycle of safety for the team and dictation is used to enforce power. In situations like this there tends to be an undercurrent of resentment that needs to be addressed.
Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?
I think giving up is a signal that you’re overwhelmed yourself or what’s on your plate exceeds your current support and resources. I think it is difficult for some people to change, so it’s easier to give up than to go through the effort of adapting. While this isn’t something I’ve faced personally, I think it’s something that many leaders and teams that I’ve worked with have faced. I think the great resignation is a manifestation of this.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?
Communication, communication, communication, and I say it three times on purpose because when we communicate, it’s not about communicating facts but about communicating feelings, concerns, road maps, and ideas and doing that over and over again. You can never hear too much of this. I would say the only time that communication isn’t effective is when what you communicate and what you do are at odds. It is at this point that communication is harmful. In other words, communicating and then following through on what you have communicated is deeply important to foster trust and safety with your team.
When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?
I think all too often leaders and organizations want to push through the reality because it’s uncomfortable and because it would be better to stick to certainties. However, when your workforce is fully aware that there isn’t this level of certainty and that things are always evolving then showing that vulnerability while also taking responsibility for the choices that can be made is crucial.
Also, because leaders are often projected onto by employees, it’s important to remember that most people appreciate being respected, and honest communication can be really helpful to the team for them to work cohesively and for leaders to inspire ideas and engage the team effectively. Again, one really good way to accomplish this is utilizing inclusive leadership.
What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?
Clearly and honestly, and if possible, face to face.
Also, behind the scenes. For example, before big public announcements are made, there needs to be indirect announcements through stakeholders and informal channels of communication so that people aren’t shocked or surprised by the announcement while others have already accepted it and moved on.
How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?
I think it is best to plan for what is within your control. Work on your practices within your team and aim for things that are within your reach without getting caught up in the negative and cyclic ‘we can’t do this until that…’ mindset.
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
Again, honest communication that is followed through would be the number one principle that I would recommend.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
There are a few. Avoiding communication is one, reacting in anxiety is another, also being overbearing or controlling and ignoring the voices of their teams.
In order to avoid it leaders need to first acknowledge their default behaviors and preferences and ensure they are responding more than reacting.
Generating new business, increasing your profits, or at least maintaining your financial stability can be challenging during good times, even more so during turbulent times. Can you share some of the strategies you use to keep forging ahead and not lose growth traction during a difficult economy?
Acknowledge the reality and pursue opportunity. Also, ensure that your organization is stabilized as best as possible and understand the clear and effective ways of working that exist already before you pursue new avenues.
Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times? Please share a story or an example for each.
The first would be to communicate clearly and often. I’ve described this idea multiple times above. To reiterate, it’s important to communicate the reality of situations and to do so in a way that gives people a chance to acclimate to the reality.
The second would be to ensure people are walking the talk. For instance, if you’re going to communicate something, ensure that you act in a way that honors what you’re saying. And take responsibility when it’s needed and adjust accordingly.
The third is listening to employees. For example, don’t simply ask your employees questions but listen to the answers. When questions and concerns are based on consultations, check that this is what employees intended to convey and gauge if they think the proposed solutions to the problems or concerns are effective or not. No one knows the needs of your employees better than your employees themselves.
Fourth is to focus on effective practices and procedures for the reality of work today and maintain processes and procedures that work for you rather than require more of you and the employees. Ensure that your processes, practices, and procedures support what the organization is trying to achieve.
Fifth is to understand the line between working hard and pushing employees to the brink of burnout. One of the most natural things to do during crisis or uncertainty is to put more effort in and put pressure on the people around you to perform at the same level that they did previously. However, during more strenuous situations you need to make allowances for the reality of current work situations and the impact these uncertainties have on your employees. In doing this, you will reduce speedbumps like sick leaves but equally engage your employees and retain them better because you won’t be burning them out in the process. As a result, you won’t be leaving your organization understaffed in the long run.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” I had gumption from a very young age and realized I wouldn’t get anywhere in life if I kept waiting for everything to be perfect. This quote is one I use in my work and as a personal motivator. I can’t control the weather, but I can control what I do when it rains.
How can our readers further follow your work?
Website: www.silewalsh.com
Twitter: silewalsh1
Youtube: Silewalsh1
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
Sile Walsh Of ELIS Advantage: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
