Leadership During a Crisis

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

--Martin Luther King, Jr

Throughout history, one thing that is apparent about human nature is that during a crisis people look to the leaders for direction. Especially their political leaders. 

However, during this current pandemic, we have seen titans of industry, corporate CEOs, and other leaders outside of the public sector lead their firms in shifting production of the primary goods of their trade to goods of public necessity. Examples include small firms transitioning from making alcoholic beverages to producing hand sanitizer, to most recently Elon Musk using his industrial manufacturing capacity in New York state to make ventilators for hospitals. 

Leaders see what’s needed to be done and take action, whether mandated or not. During our current crisis, what needs to be remembered from a leadership perspective is, what can I do to help others? Leadership is all about helping people, not only in your own organization but in our society. People, especially your followers will judge you more by your actions, and your actions will either be your testimony that will glorify what you did during moments of discomfort and inconvenience or indict you for failing to rise to the challenge of the day to help your neighbor.

People are the most valuable resource societies have—ALL LIVES MATTER—materialism is nothing to the human soul. However, humane service to others is redemptive to the soul. Being the leader society and the times need you to be will be the ultimate measure of you in a crisis.

“…leaders show empathy when they genuinely relate to another person’s situation, motives, or feelings. Empathy does not mean sympathy for another, but a realization that leads to a deeper understanding. Empathy allows the leader to anticipate what others are experiencing and feeling and gives insight to how decisions or actions affect them.” 

-- Army Leadership and The Profession, ADP 6-22

Empathy is a leadership behavior that cannot be taught, no MBA, PhD, or any other credential will give it to you. However, it is a historical hallmark of humanities' greatest leaders who walked the earth.