8 Critical Leadership Challenges and How to Handle Them

Leadership is stressful — there’s no getting around it. You’re responsible for dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people, their productivity, and their livelihoods. You yourself have to report to higher ups and have your decisions analyzed and challenged by both your subordinates and your superiors. According to one Gartner survey in 2019, only half of leaders in the workplace actually feel confident in their leadership decisions.

However, you’re in luck, because I’ve worked with hundreds of leaders in every field imaginable, and I’ve been able to help guide them through leadership challenges — and learn from their experiences — so here is my guide for tackling some of the most common leadership crises head-on.

Conducting a RIF or Layoff

Letting people go — it’s one of the worst parts about any management job. At some point, you will have to tell someone they don’t have a job anymore. This is a key moment for you, because you want to handle the separation with compassion, but you also have to navigate it skillfully so that your remaining employees are still confident in their workplace, your leadership and their own roles.

First things first: check your legal obligations. Whether you are issuing temporary layoffs or going for a permanent reduction in…