Ship the Books Brussels! Leading in Crisis

Like many of you, I have taken advantage of increased time at home to do some Spring cleaning. Working through one of my old boxes I uncovered the manual given to me when I served a mission for my church beginning when I was 19 years old. I was assigned to work in Belgium and France (and I can still manage a pretty good conversation in French, much to my family's chagrin when I chase down and harass any French-speakers I run into), and can attest that the most effective means of getting any work done is not to put it in the hands of 20 year-old young men. A group of about 200 of us were led centrally from an office in Brussels, but with our geography extending down into the Alsace, across to Dunkerque, and over all of Luxembourg, there's only so much day-to-day oversight that could be offered. How we didn't cause an international crisis with our youthful exuberance I still don't understand.

As I was reviewing the manual I came across a well-known section on what we should do in times of emergency. We were given two "coded" phrases that were to alert us to action. "Pack the books Brussels" indicated that we were to prepare to depart our areas of service, while "Ship the books Brussels" meant that we were to make our way to our headquarters in Brussels by any means necessary. As these were the days before cell phones, this information would likely make its way to us through a clear chain of command. This well-defined communication structure was critical because, as you can imagine, there were several occasions where a home-sick and scared new arrival would be tricked on the phone by a serious-sounding voice stating with urgency "I'm only going to say this once ... ship the books!" Like I said, 20 year-olds are awful. (As an aside, I'm assuming that these codes are no longer valid. So you can't go up to one of those missionaries now and shout "Ship the books Omaha!" and expect anything but a puzzled look.)

As we are now in the midst of a health and economic crisis it has provided me opportunity to reflect on the unique challenges of leading in times of crisis. My review of my old missionary guide prompted three ideas that will be of benefit to you as you lead teams in uncertain and troubling times.

• Provide Clear, Actionable Direction

One of the strengths of the benefits of the "Ship the books" methodology was its simplicity and emphasis on action. When you got the call, you knew what to do. In times of uncertainty teams benefit from clear direction and specific action. While I am a firm believer in the power of collaboration, during distress individuals benefit from leadership that is direct and specific. Don't lead through suggestion; state specifically what needs to be done and, if necessary, how it needs to be done.

• Communicate, communicate, communicate

Even though we were spread out geographically, our mission stayed in regular contact through a clearly-defined leadership structure. That structure provided even those of us working in remote locations (Google Epinal, France, my first assignment, for an example of working in the middle of nowhere) to remain in regular contact. Information is the enemy of fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Regular communication lets your team feel that someone's hand is on the wheel. While you may not have every answer as to what is to come, staying in regular communication on what you can share is critical.

• Stay focused on the mission

Despite the inherent goofiness of the average 20 year-old male (and a shout-out to the young women who were there with us - they put up with a lot), we were all there for the same reason - we believed in what we were doing. The mission of your organization has not changed during these perilous times, in fact if anything the importance of your mission has probably only been heightened. For us in healthcare the mission is obvious, but regardless of your industry helping your team remain focused on why the work matters helps alleviate anxiety about how the work needs to be done or what specific work needs to be done in challenging times.

In my two years in the mission field I never had to respond to a true crisis like we currently face. However, we were prepared to do so if necessary. These following weeks, as we move from crisis to recovery, will be the leadership test of your lifetime. Providing clear and actionable direction, regularly communicating, and staying focused on the mission of your organization will help you rise to the unique challenges of today's leadership.