any other profession that supports the
business, your job is to ensure you have a
cohesive and motivated team, even in the
most trying of circumstances.
This analogy can be applied even where
you are the CEO of an organization, the
head of a church or the president of the
country. The only thing that changes is
the context. If you do find yourself in this
position, what can you do to ensure that
your leadership skills work for you?
According to various experts here are the
top seven things you can do as a leader to
provide leadership in a crisis.
Team Work
This is a time when you need a strong team
around you. Your best people, bringing
much needed strengths need to be close
to you to support and lend knowledge.
Subject matter experts are also useful
here, and this may involve reallocating
people from their usual day jobs to help
with the crisis at hand.
Being Calm
A crisis is a time of worry, panic and
uncertainty. As a leader, you need to project
an image of calm and collectedness. No
one will have confidence in a leader who
looks frazzled and harassed. Of course, it
is one thing to say stay calm, it is quite
another to be calm. Some meditation or
calming techniques may come in handy
around this time.
Relative Optimism
When everyone around you is down and
depressed, there must be some motivation,
some optimism that gives people hope.
Desmond Tutu said, “Hope is being able
to see that there is light despite all the
darkness.” A leader must be able to keep
the hope alive for his followers, and be the
beacon of light in the dark times.
Make Decisions
A crisis is defined as such because of the
number of unknowns. One cannot predict
just how outcomes will be. But decisions
also need to be made often with very
limited information. A leader cannot
spend his time dithering and doubting
himself - you have to work with what
you have, make a call and pray that you
are making the best choice under the
58 MAL35/20 ISSUE
Imagine being the team leader of a sales
crew. What will you put in place to en-
sure the safety of your team and of your
clients under the social distancing guide-
lines? You need to call a team meeting;
and you ask your team to log in via skype
or zoom and they aren’t there. What can
you do to motivate your team as they nav-
igate these troubling times?
circumstances. For mistakes will be made,
and choices will be challenging but such is
the nature of the situation at hand.
Focus On Your Well Being
Difficult and stressful situations take a toll
on each of us. Leaders and followers alike
are challenged to manage emotions and
deal with many thoughts that run through
our minds. The ‘what if ’ question is always
present.
A leader cannot support his team or
those around him, if he is not taking care
of himself. Personal wellness can take
many forms. It could be some alone time
to sit and reflect, it could mean doing
something that you enjoy like listen to
music or watching a movie. It could mean
a nice meal with friends or a walk in the
outdoors. Any activity that brings you joy
and some peace that allows you to recharge
your batteries even for a short time, so
that you can go out there and be the calm
decisive leader that everyone needs to see.
Shut Up And Listen
Never has there been a need for
communication than during a crisis. There
are authors who have written books on
crisis communication, what do to and what
to avoid. But 2 things remain within a
leader’s arsenal. The first is asking the right
questions. This will unlock information
that will help in decision making. The
second is harder and even more important.
Listening. Most of us don’t really listen.
We may hear the sound or the words but
we aren’t really listening to what is being
said.
Listen to the team around you but also
take your time to listen to what is out
there. In marketing terms we call it
getting customer insights. The process
is exactly the same. Get insights from
your customers, know what is impacting
them, their worries and concerns. Once
you address these, dealing with a crisis
becomes so much easier.
Be Flexible
Crisis situations are fluid, and need a
leader who isn’t afraid to adapt to the
situation. Management styles may need to
change depending on the gravity or stage
of the crisis. Don’t be afraid to empower
people, but also do not be afraid to take
charge where necessary.
The Chinese symbol for the term crisis
is divided into two parts - danger and
opportunity. Where there is danger, there
also lies much opportunity. Which just
goes to show you that everything in life
is about perspective - the way you look at
things.
“Leadership is not about being in charge.
It is about caring for those you are in
charge of.” Simon Sinek.
So before you decide to take up a position
of leadership, reflect on what motivates
you to do so. Being a leader isn’t always
about the good times. It is also about the
hard times. Brian Tracy said: The true test
of leadership is how you function in a
crisis. Are you ready to lead?
Thrity Engineer-Mbuthia is a PhD
student of Management and Leadership
and a certified executive coach. Drop
her a line at: Info@thrityengineer.org
for a free virtual 30 minute coaching
consultation.