Expectant in the Face of Adversity

In A Leader's Journal, I share my personal reflections on leadership at the intersection of faith and work. I pray these articles would serve as encouragement for you, whether you are a young leader like myself or a seasoned one.

In the name of being raw and authentic, have some leaders, especially young ones, forgotten that they should be a beacon of hope to their teams??

To me, it seems so. More often than not, we’ll hear leaders talk about how bad things are and how they don’t want to “sugarcoat” it.

Well, I’m not an advocate for deception, but why does it seem that society thinks it’s a lie to be hopeful?

Perhaps the reason leaders might feel like frauds if they deliver a hopeful message is because they themselves don’t have much hope at all.

This has been on my mind lately.?

If you’re in business right now, put on your horse blinders. Look to the side and you might not like what you see.

Layoffs, bleak outlooks on the economy, a dumpster fire in politics, shaky international affairs, the list goes on…?

Maybe it’s a matter of perception; maybe what seem like tough times now aren’t as tough when compared to previous years.

The truth is facts like that don’t matter much when emotions are high. Unless we're leading teams of robots, the expectation is that we exercise emotional intelligence and consider their feelings.

It’s good practice fundamentally as a human being. People like people who care.?

And team members like leaders who show genuine interest for how they feel.?

But being an authentic leader doesn’t mean you have to give into the doomsday mentality.?

No, you do not have to enter the corporate arena with the drumbeats of “it’s so hard” and the fanfare of “I don’t want to show up to work either.”?

Inspire.?Why can’t young leaders inspire??

Rally your teams! Create excitement when the mood is drab.

Tell them "I see you," but don’t sit in the pits with them. Pull them out!

Cast vision and create hope. Equip them to do their best and be their best.?

I think there is a certain fear in doing this.?

We might be tempted to think that they won’t care, or worse, that it won’t be received well.

The truth is that some people won’t receive a hopeful message from a leader well. Saying “I see you” and then trying to push the team forward is sure to annoy some.

But not taking initiative on the basis of the resistance of the few is complacency not leadership.

So, leaders, especially those of my generation, shake off the shackles of the mood on social media and do something big.?

Dream big – push your people to do the same.?

Lead in such a way that the select few who grow the most from your leadership in the face of adversity look back years down the line and think “it was worth it.”