Renowned speaker and author Seth Mattison spoke live to the ISPA member community in February in advance of his upcoming Power Session appearance at the ISPA Stronger Together Summit . In his powerful talk , Seth highlighted four keys to leading effectively during times of great uncertainty , all of which spoke to both the heart of the spa industry and the needs of the current moment .

Build Trust in Yourself

Before a leader can be an anchor for the people they lead , they must first feel confident in their own ability to show up when it matters most . As Seth put it , “ Trustworthy people do what they say they ’ re going to do , when they say they ’ re going to do it , all the time .” When applied to ourselves , this principle takes the form of following through on the goals we set — even the small ones — rather than being paralyzed by the uncertainty all around us . By showing up for ourselves repeatedly over time , which can take the form of anything from sticking to a diet or exercise plan to establishing a behavioral routine we know is likely to put us in position to be our best at home and at work , we build self-trust . In challenging moments , the confidence that these habits have established leaves us ready to take bold , decisive action instead of freezing up in the face of those challenges .

Of course , self-trust does not equal arrogance . A person who trusts themselves also knows themselves enough to know when to ask for help . Good leaders can be authentic , vulnerable and confident , all at once .

own your emotions

The uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has had an incalculable emotional impact on populations and industries around the world , and the spa industry is no exception . As Seth pointed out , however , leaders in the spa

industry may have been unable to fully acknowledge and process their own emotional response to the events of the past year for weeks or even months after the pandemic first began . This delayed response was the result of setting those emotions aside during the early days of the pandemic in order to simply get through the rash of day-to-day problems so many of their businesses faced during that period .

But fear can also keep us from naming our emotions and allowing ourselves to feel their full weight . We may worry that acknowledging our emotions — be they sadness or joy , anger or excitement — will cause us to be overwhelmed by them . Seth cautioned the ISPA audience not to let those worries win : “ You are strong enough , you can trust yourself enough to sit and feel the weight of whatever is there ,” he said , citing research from Harvard Medical School claiming that unacknowledged emotions can wreak havoc on both the mind and the body .

decide what you want

“ One of the primary reasons why we stay stuck is because we are unclear about precisely and exactly what we want . And we ’ re all guilty of this .” With these words , Seth encouraged the ISPA community to get serious about their personal and professional goals . Too often , we settle for what we think we can get or become consumed by what we don ’ t want to happen . By accepting those approaches , we deprive

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