Crisis Management - Leadership Wins

In a featured blog article this week, I wrote about leadership in crisis, finding the CALM. Yes, it was a response to concerns about the coronavirus. As I reflected on the final published piece, it hit me I left off something more critical.

Leadership should not be limited to the effort inside some businesses.

We need leaders at home and in our communities. Churches. Synagogues and Mosques need their leaders too. Everywhere you get to go, you can be a leader. Leadership is never reserved for those with titles.

A Story

I tell a story from my community’s struggle right after hurricane Harvey. My home is just outside Houston but was impacted by Harvey like so many others. The day after the big landfall and all the rain, when the flooding began, I was helping a good friend evacuate his home. There were about 12 of us, close friends and families who converged on the address to begin the “muck out” as it is called. That’s where you rip out wet sheetrock from the walls so that the framing can breathe and dry. The flooring was being demolished and carried out to waste piles on the curb.

It was happening at every house on that street, over 20 homes.

We had been working for an hour or so when it seemed locusts had descended. I don’t mean the bugs, but rather a large group of high schoolers. They were led by a teacher. I never really counted how many. But they took a quick assessment of where we were. Then they went to work.

Humming and buzzing just like bees. They swarmed that house, gutting the remaining damaged materials we would have needed several more hours to complete. In about 90 minutes, the house was done. Anything that had been wet was at the curb. Furniture was loaded on moving trucks. There was really no more cleanup to do.

The high school crew? They moved to the next house.

Great Leadership

I told my friend, that was a miracle. But as I thought about the experience, I realized there was GREAT leadership being exhibited that day. The teacher had gathered his students. He gave them a vision they could grab onto. And they went to work.

The team was harmonious, joking and laughing their way through otherwise horrible work. The teacher has assembled and inspired a great team.

I’m convinced those students will remember that day for the rest of their lives. Many of them will also become leaders capable of rising up when a need becomes apparent. They served when service was sorely needed.

Back to Today

We don’t yet know exactly how the COVID-19 spread will impact everyone. But leaders are needed at schools, homes, and churches to be beacons of light for others to rally around. Here are a few basic ideas to consider for how YOU can make a difference.

1.      Be calm (read my other piece – it applies here too)

2.      Settle other’s nerves. Help people look at the positives, not just the negatives.

3.      Be a voice of reason; don’t argue, but answer.

When we experience disasters, people like to talk about “Be Strong”. I agree with that. However, I suggest strength starts with having a leader to guide us to mustering that strength. It doesn’t have to be a mayor or a public health official. It can be YOU.

What can you do today? Make a difference.

This is Leadership Powered by Common Sense.