As the coronavirus crisis drags on, fatigue for our employees, our direct reports, and ourselves is a real challenge. How do we reduce the fatigue?

Fatigue was ever present in my combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. The US Army used a variety of measures to try to ensure that soldiers and leaders could endure the year long grind of combat — two weeks of vacation, regular physical fitness, six to seven hours of sleep a night, and “sleep in Sundays," or a morning when the normal routine didn’t happen.

The crisis has created new ways that we have to work. Some questions to ask yourself and your team as you think through increasing your team’s endurance and morale:

• What is the pace that we are operating at? Is it sustainable? How can I modify it so it is sustainable for the team? (In Afghanistan I had one direct report that was really pushing the envelope, so I had to rein them in a bit. Another direct report needed encouragement to push harder.)

• Have I asked the team what they would need to recharge/maintain the pace?

• Am I over communicating to the team? (see post #11 for more ideas)

• Am I leading with optimism? (see post #4 for more ideas)

• How do I recognize/reward members of the team that are doing all the new tasks the way we want them done (PPE, sanitizing, social distancing, washing hands, etc)?

• What’s my vacation plan for my team, my leaders, and me? (I know no one wants to use their vacation to stay at home. But, things are different now. See the next question for a different idea.)

• Do I have the ability to give a personal day for someone to recharge? Should our team be able to do that?

• What mental health resources does my team have? Have I talked to the team about them?

• How am I giving the team members, especially the ones facing a higher risk, a chance to recharge?

There is no one size fits all solution for reducing crisis fatigue in you and your team. As the environment evolves over the coming months, it is worth revisiting your plan to maintain your team’s pace and morale.