In a crisis, leaders have a critical role. They keep the peace, maintain team morale, get everybody on the same page (vision) and lead them out of the crisis.
Undergirding all these activities is a prayerful spirit looking to Him for answers. David is a good example, together with the various kings showing us the pathways to go or not to, depending on their decisions. Reading 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles will yield these helpful insights.
This cannot be done if we want to do it our way or just unwilling to wet our hands. Also, they are those who may be scare to lead, bogged down by personal and family concerns, or let boredom takes them to complacency.
Leaders need to be bold, sacrificial and alert. They have their fingers on the pulse of every essential group in their organisation. They monitor and communicate. By that, it doesn’t mean, choking the flow of information or dominate the narratives.
As much as possible, they also need to step away to allow the groups to thrive, communicate, organise, sometimes disagree, but most of all, do their work.
Let’s take a look at these tall order of the leader in times of crisis:
- Get them into the same spirit and same platform.
- Maintain morale, watch out for trending narratives and talk. Direct good news to where it should be and deflect and contain energy sapping and morale busting bad news.
- Maintain peace, keep people together long enough, storms will first appear before performance happens. Peace will keep people from sinking in the storms and provide sufficient thrust to productivity and results.
- Guide decision-making but let them own the decision especially so in a wide open digital space where they need to define their limitations.
- Guide flow of information esp uncorroborated. Moderate bad news. Too much of the same bad things? Once is enough.
- Introduce new channels and pathways of growth for organisation and self.
- Let the momentum be, keep hands off. Be alert for undesirable shift and refocus the team if that happens.
- Draw the quiet out and get the dominant to tone down in this unknown sphere where work and people may be familiar but the landscape is not.
- Communication is also critical. Respect and encourage. Call and message to connect individually. It is so easy to lose that personal touch that builds the group and team.
