Leading Through Crisis
If you’re a church leader, you find yourself in a crisis. We’re in the midst of a global pandemic that prevents gatherings, and your church is likely primarily, if not exclusively, reliant on gatherings. Your job now involves leading through crisis. I intentionally don’t say leading during crisis, because your job isn’t done when shelter-in-place restrictions are lifted. You need to adapt to your circumstance now, while also preparing to lead into the future.
To help give you some practical guidance you can implement immediately, I researched what thought leaders across industries have learned and recommend when leading in and through crisis. I’ve distilled several articles and videos down to key big ideas, and linked out to resources if you want to learn more. I hope this is helpful. I’m rooting for you!
Let’s start with the fundamentals that are too often overlooked, especially in trying times. You. Must. Practice. Self. Care! This is not the time to neglect prayer, scripture reading, mentoring, counseling, exercise, or sleep. Healthy habits and rhythms will be what separates those who can lead through crisis with strength and don’t burn out.
“Maintain a bias toward action. Be open to change. Seek feedback.” is easy to say, and hard to do. It’s timeless advice, as evidenced over and over again in business and leadership books.
How you frame a situation is wildly important to your outlook, your success, and your chances of accomplishing what you need to accomplish. This moment has something to teach you is true, and it’s also a framing of the situation. You could frame the pandemic as an unforeseeable event that you couldn’t have prepared for, and are victim to (this is the victim role found below!), or you can know that you can grow tremendously through this if you stay teachable, humble, nimble, and ready to learn. Same situation, different frame.
Donald Miler uses the classic narrative archetypes of hero, guide, victim, villain to explain the mindset leaders must take in order to lead effectively during crisis. In recent business made simple videos, he talks about how your job is to be the hero for your employees and teams, demonstrating a focused attention on the work that needs to be done, and the energy that it can be accomplished. You also need to at times serve as the guide, helping others know what they should do next. The guide isn’t the one who saves the day, but the one who enables and equips others to do so.
I stole the post title from a great Harvard Business Review article that discusses having a crisis ready culture, and a crisis playbook. Let’s face it...if you don’t have a crisis playbook, it’s too late. But now is the time to document your lessons learned and create a running list of things to come back to in order to develop, refine, or overhaul.
A crisis ready culture can be identified as leaders and teams who are steady, deliberative, resist “fight or flight” mentality. This is something you can develop, and there are also opportunities to evaluate in the moment. Identify if you’re taking your time to think through potential outcomes or benefits and risks, before you take action. If you find yourself acting out of - and leading from - frenzy, bouncing from one thing to the other with little regard for data and facts, you aren’t demonstrating crisis ready leadership and it will be mirrored by your teams. Take a deep breath, gather the information available to you, spend time in reflection and prayer, and then act in a steady and deliberative manner.
A crisis playbook is a plan at the ready in the event a crisis occurs (not being able to meet is an obvious risk). In hindsight, you should have had a plan ready for the risk of not being able to gather, but if not, you certainly have the blueprint for what to do and what not to do based on the past couple weeks. Donald Miller recommends you have a 30, 60, 90, 120 day plans with triggers (if this happens, we do that) that you can act on if necessary. I can understand that now may not feel like a good time to develop a playbook since you’re likely scrambling, but even if it’s having your team keep a list of what worked, what didn’t, and what should be done differently, you’re well on your way to a playbook for future crisis moments if needed.
You are now in a new “normal” which requires new rules. Old rules no longer apply. This article stresses the importance of getting as much information, data, and detail as you can, while also not waiting for a clearer picture before you act. This is striking the balance of being steady and deliberative and also not waiting for certainty before you act. The trick is to avoid irreversible decisions if possible, and stay nimble. You must also communicate in such a way that allows you to stay nimble, which can be done by using language like “we’re trying this out” or “we’re testing this” or being transparent that you aren’t sure the best way to do things, but you’re going to do what you feel is best based on what you have. A key to staying nimble is to decentralize traditional structures to bring in the right people based on competency, not title or position. If you have someone with a background, skill, or passion in an area you need, don’t let hierarchy get in the way of involvement.
This Forbes article reminds us that in crisis, the brain changes and the amygdala takes over. It’s your job as the leader to help people get past that. Pay close attention to what they are hearing, and understand attention spans shrink when under stress. Keep your messages clear, short, and honest. Also understand that you may not be the one who needs to deliver the message. Understanding how best to reach them includes understanding who has the greatest influence and connection to them. Lastly, consider how will they respond, and expect resistance. Be patient, and listen well.
Your work isn’t done when the crisis is over. You have to continue to communicate. You have to plan, and crisis management and planning should be part of your new normal. More on that here.
Here are a couple of my own thoughts on the topic:
Don’t go it alone! You have a team for a reason and isolation and/or uneven yoked teams will cause unnecessary tension, burnout, and resentment. Be honest about your capacity. Model and expect transparency, and adjust deliverables based on level of priority. Now is the time to decentralize traditional structures to be sure everyone is working on the most important things.
Public opinion matters. “Stakeholder” points of view are those who are impacted or who have a stake in what you’re doing. No matter what you say (or don’t say), know and they’re watching and listening. Your legacy as well as the health of your church can be dramatically impacted by how you handle this season.
If you need help implementing these ideas or tactics, please reach out. I’d love to help you in any way I can.