Higher Ed Leadership Challenge #13: Remaining Intentional During Crises

In a fireside chat on April 14, 1938, F.D.R. eloquently described that 'a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.' Facing concurrent large-scale crises, Roosevelt knew that being authentic, accessible, and inspiring hope would ensure that the American people did not lose sight of the future and that even in the darkest of times, we had to continue to plan ahead. He went on to describe that “to reach a port we must sail – Sail, not tie at anchor. Sail, not drift.” Of course, this is wise and leader-like, but it likely offers little comfort for a new leader who is unsure of how they will respond in a crisis.

Modern leaders must accept that it's not a question of whether or not a crisis will arise during their time as a leader, but when, and how frequently will they have to navigate crises and near-crises. Crises do not represent new leadership challenges, however, the speed at which crises develop, and more importantly, the speed at which the fallout from a crisis can escalate has never been more dangerous to a leader. As a new leader, you'll need to be able to manage your emotions and thinking during a crisis, even when the situation is overwhelming. Fortunately, there are ways to systematically ensure your crisis approach and response are holistic. Introducing your crisis leadership secret weapon: Bolman & Deal's concept of framing and reframing.

I would highly recommend buying and reading Reframing Organizations. I have read it several times, attended lectures by Dr. Lee Bolman & Dr. Terry Deal , and wrote a nearly 300-page dissertation using their leadership frames as a conceptual roadmap to evaluating leadership decisions. From all of that time and effort, I want to share three things I've learned that will help any leader manage better during a crisis (or otherwise): 1) Understand that there are leader frames and that you (likely) have a frame that you naturally lean toward, 2) Understand that many of your followers will not share your frame preference (and this influences how people will receive your strategy and communication), and 3) You need to intentionally implement the power of each frame to deliver a truly holistic crisis response.

1) Structural, Human Resource, Political, Symbolic... which frame feels like home to you?

We all have natural tendencies or preferences. You've likely heard of the MBTI and your "type" (INFP here), but you may not have heard of your leadership frame preference. Bolman and Deal offer that in their book, but you may be able to tell a bit about your frame preferences from the following descriptions:

• Structural leaders prefer order, clear hierarchy and the possibility to for everyone know their role and how they fit in. These folks would likely be systems people, and if there is a problem structural thinking focuses on efficiency and clarity.
• Human Resource leaders believe that people are the most essential part of an organization. They seek to build up individuals and rely on training and social elements of the organization to solve problems.
• Political leaders seek to build coalitions and navigate (rather than shy away from) conflict. They thrive in times of scarcity and are often adept at finding commonality and leveraging favor.
• Symbolic leaders are magnetic and understand the unifying value of symbols (colors, language, heroes, etc.) to bond teams together. They tend to operate in service to something larger, and can often inspire others because of that.

2) Why do frames matter?

Just as framing and reframing are internal lenses for viewing challenges and opportunities, they also can have a significant impact on interpersonal communication and collaboration. If you are a structural leader, and you are managing a group of people that prefer the HR frame, you may come off as unfeeling, detached, and mechanical. Visa versa, if you are an HR leader, and are managing a bunch of structural thinkers, you may come off as flaky, or inefficient. It is important to know your own preferences and understand the preferences of those you will be leading or collaborating with. In crisis, these differences will only become exaggerated.

3) Reframing is a system that will help you be more inclusive in your crisis response.

While you may prefer one frame to the other three, you are capable of leveraging the strengths of each frame at any time. Good leaders learn to navigate all 4 frames in their important decisions, especially in times of crisis. Symbols, colors, and language can be added to draw followers back to themes that they believe in or celebrate. Systems can help bring objective thinking and provide expeditious responses in times where seconds and minutes are critical. Purposely refocusing on the individuals and their phenomenological understanding of an issue can strengthen connections during periods of unrest, and navigating the political arena to build coalitions and consensus can help distribute ownership and ensure strategic success.

Leaders that thrive lead both in periods of calm and in crisis. Although daunting to imagine (which, by the way, doesn't get easier), learning how to apply systematic strategies to your crisis response strategy will help you feel more intentional and in control when managing teams through crises. If you'd like to engage further, please let me know what types of crises you may be most nervous to face, and I can provide you with some ideas to generate your holistic response system!