How do you keep yourself grounded, focused and centered while laying off 10, 20 or 100s of employees who have families and mortgages? You were hired to be a leader and manager with a surgeon's laser-focus of diagnosing and treating the business's ills and opportunities for health and growth - yet, let's be real, you are a HUMAN being and these kinds of activities can take their emotional toll - no matter how analytical you are or how much you live by the numbers.

..Not to mention the water we are all swimming in these days further exacerbates the toll - the fear and anxiety frenzy feeds on the latest news on the local or global economy.

Going back to the basics is essential during these times - you can't give away what you don't have. How do you lead and manage others during these turbulent, uncertain times when you aren't sure when the next wave will hit? If you want others to quickly refocus and re-energize during and after these kind of activities - it starts with you leading and embodying the way. People's antennae become extra sensitive in this times so you can't fake it. So how do you stay grounded and clear? It starts with taking control of what you can - your person and your reactions.

At the core you must consistently engage in two fundamental activities on a daily basis: Express and process your emotions NOT your thoughts - Venues for this can be talking with a colleague, coach, spouse or friend, or writing in a journal, or even talking into a tape recorder on the way home from work. The second activity is cultivating your creative energies and recharging - whether it is doodling on the memo pad, singing in the shower, meditating or playing the bass guitar at night. The goal here is experimentation and having fun. Reflection and downtime - even if they are only 10 minutes a day - are bare essentials. The key is consistency and continuity. Your mind and nervous system can only process so much without it coming out somewhere negatively in your mood or at it's extreme in your health.