What does a retired military General, a physician/CEO of a 29,000-employee healthcare organization and a priest/President of Fordham University have in common? It is their approach to leading others during difficult and dangerous times. The CBS Sunday Morning show profiled General Stanley McChrystal, Dr. Penny Wheeler and Father Joseph McShane last weekend. I was drawn to the common themes in their messages about leadership during a crisis:
1) As a leader, you must be brutally honest with yourself about the situation. Get as much information as you personally need (self-knowledge) and don’t be in denial of what you are up against. This will help you focus on priorities and build a plan.
2) Be candid and genuine with those you lead. Be open about bad news. By contextualizing and sharing information, you will gain trust. Be straight forward, honest and complete with the information you share. If you don’t, your team will lose faith if they find out otherwise.
3) Be more present with your people. Let them know you care about them and likely have some of the same fears or sadness regarding the situation. You are no different from them in that respect.
4) Learn from those closest to the work, the teams and individuals who have direct access to the situation and barriers. They will help guide your choices and decisions. The wisest of leaders will humbly ask for advice from the team and collaborate with them.
Even when you are the one in-charge, it is natural to feel fear. Fear is not a sign of weakness. It is good to have and should act as a motivator. General McChrystal noted that when things get hard, or questionable, or dangerous, or your organization is being tested…leaders stand-up because that is their job.
Whether you are sending people into war, calming your congregation or battling a pandemic, you need to be honest with yourself and others. You may make a mistake or take a wrong turn along the way, but people will forgive you if you have listened, communicated and empathized with them during the difficult journey.
Please touch base with me at [email protected] if you need support with human resources planning, leadership coaching or employee communications during these difficult times.