You feel maxed out, stretched thin and overwhelmed. You are a leader and you feel you have no time and no energy for the soft stuff, especially now that the times are hard and uncertain.

What’s the blind spot?
The “soft” stuff becomes even more important in hard times. That’s the blind spot. More than ever, the right kind of soft stuff gets the most results when it’s hardest to produce it. Here are some of the soft things you cannot afford to leave behind:

1. Truly listen.
2. Ask, why?
3. Get curious. Get genuinely interested.
4. Say, thank you.
5. Try to make things easier for others. Remove unnecessary blockages.
6. Recognize and appreciate the contributions of others. Celebrate small successes.
7. Relax. Yes, take a deep breath and relax.
8. Have a good laugh.
9. Go out of your way to help someone.
10. Devote time to the key people in your life. It’s not the quantity of time. It’s the quality. Eight minutes of complete presence are much more meaningful than four hours of multi-tasking.
11. Enabling. Accepting. Supporting. Encouraging. Positively challenging. Appreciating. These are some of the “soft” actions that bring out the best in others and in ourselves in times of need.

© Aviv Shahar