Inflation, recession, global conflict, and post-pandemic exhaustion. Leaders today are operating under unprecedented levels of pressure, and many are finding that their own—and their team’s—”fuses are getting shorter and shorter.”

In this archive episode of  Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata sits down with international speaker and serenity expert Martin Laschkolnig to discuss how leaders can maintain their composure when surrounded by crisis. Drawing on decades of business experience, Buddhist philosophy, and energy psychology, Martin explains why trying to “fix” a traumatised team member is the worst thing a leader can do, and why serenity is a muscle that must be trained before the crisis hits.

If you want to stop reacting on autopilot and start leading with profound inner peace, this episode provides the practical tools you need to widen the space between event and reaction.

5 Key Takeaways:

1. The Crisis Intervention Rule of 3: Discover the three essential steps leaders must take when a team member is in a crisis (and why “offering a solution” isn’t one of them).

2. The Limits of the “Fixer”: Why jumping straight to “fix-it mode” can alienate your team, and why people need to feel “seen in their misery” before they can accept a solution.

3. The Monkey Mind vs. The Sphere of Influence: How the “monkey mind’s” desire to control everything causes Burnout, and how to reclaim your power by focusing only on what you can actually influence.

4. The “NATO” Mindset: How adopting the “Not Attached to the Outcome” philosophy can instantly reduce leadership Stress in target-driven corporate environments.

5. The Separation of Self and Problem: The profound psychological shift of realising “I have a problem, but I am not the problem,” and why self-compassion is crucial for crisis management.

    3 Actionable Insights

1. Stop Giving Verbal Instructions in a Crisis: When an employee is overwhelmed or traumatised, always provide the next steps (e.g., “Go see HR”) in writing or via a simple checklist to ensure they actually get the support they need.

2. Defuse the Stress Hormones Daily: Do not wait for the weekend or a crisis to relax. Build a daily “micro-routine”, whether it’s five minutes of conscious breathing, digging in the garden, or taking a walk. Consistent, small steps build the foundation of resilience you will need when a storm hits.

3. Widen the Space Between Event and Reaction: When you feel a strong emotion (like fear or anger) rising, do not react on autopilot. Step away. Take a few deep breaths. Create space to evaluate whether acting on that emotion will benefit you, or if it is better to let it pass. Your reaction determines the outcome; make sure it is a conscious choice.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Andy Lopata: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | X/Twitter | YouTube

Connect with Martin Laschkolnig: Website |LinkedIn |

The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring

Episode 171 Featuring Martin Laschkolnig

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Andy Lopata Author, Podcast Host and Speaker on Professional Relationships Strategy

Andy Lopata is a specialist speaker on professional relationships, mentoring, networking, and social media strategy. He is a firm believer that professional relationships underpin our success in business, our roles, and our careers. The right relationships with the right people can lead to new business opportunities, investment, collaborative working, innovation, and career progress. We just need to be comfortable approaching those relationships strategically, without making people feel ‘networked’ by us.

Andy has worked in the field of networking and professional relationships for 25 years, working with global giants such as Paypal, GSK, AstraZeneca, Wella, HSBC, Wembley Stadium, the BBC, and the Prime Minister’s Office of the UAE, among many others during that time. He has also worked with leading universities including NYU, Duke University, and Oxford University’s Said Business School.

A regular blogger for Psychology Today, Andy has been quoted in The Sunday Times, The Financial Times, and The Guardian, as well as many other national and regional newspapers and magazines worldwide. He has written or co-authored six books on networking and professional relationships, with his sixth book, "The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring," being published in Spring 2024. He is also the host of The Connected Leadership Podcast and has interviewed globally recognized names in business, academia, sports, and entertainment for the show.

Andy has been inducted into the PSAE Hall of Fame – the Professional Speaking Association Award of Excellence, which was held by only 21 other speakers at the time it was presented. He is a Fellow and a former President of the Fellows’ Community of the Professional Speaking Association (PSA), a Fellow of the Learning and Performance Institute (LPI), and a Member of the Association of Business Mentors and the Meetings Industry Association.