Finding leadership in a storm

The flashes of light. The clap and rumble of thunder. Storms make themselves known as they begin to move through a community. You may associate storms with trouble or even a cleansing event. Much like challenges and trouble that makes its way into our personal and professional lives, sometimes you get an impending feeling of dread as you feel it approaching, or it happens suddenly out of nowhere. Today, we’ll look at storms and how they can influence how we lead ourselves and others.

Prepare for the storm, even in the sunny days

Last year, we had a really heavy storm roll through our community, dumping a month’s worth of rain in just a couple of days. It was so bad that we got water in our basement. We’d been in our house for a couple of years at that point and had never experienced this issue before. We did our best to mitigate the problem, and once we storm was over, I began investigating what led to the problem. What I found was a clogged gutter that had resulting in concentrated amounts of water overwhelming the corner of the house….. the area right above the basement where the water had come in.

It had been sunny and rain-free for quite a while before the storm came, and I never thought to check and clean the gutters. When the problem suddenly showed up, it was too late.

Sometimes when things are great, whether it’s in business or in our own personal lives, it can be easy to relish those moments and get comfortable. As I was reminded during my basement incident, the best time to prepare for a storm is when it’s sunny outside.

Areas to consider as you prepare for that next storm:

Work

Take time to audit your team and its processes. What’s running well and what needs need to be addressed to make things better or more efficient?
Check in on employee engagement and sentiment. How are people feeling? What are their thoughts on the future of the team and org? What is their trust level of their leaders?
Check in on costs and investments. Are things still healthy and true? What new investments need to be made and resources re-routed to better support the future?

Personal

How are those relationships with those that you care most about? Is there someone that you haven’t connected with in a while that you need to reach out to? Do you need to invest some quality time with a person?
How are you feeling emotionally, spiritually, and physically? Are there steps that you can take to raise your level of self-care and well-being?
How are finances and your sense of security? How prepared are you for an unexpected challenge or expense when it hits?

Communicate well with others during the storm

I have a love-hate relationship with storms. I enjoy a good downpour and even thunderstorms. It can be a calming experience or a great reminder of the power of nature, depending on the storm’s severity. I’ve also nearly had my life ended a few times due to storms, so there’s that!

I once camped with a group of scouts out at a farm in Louisiana in the springtime. We had seen that there was a potential for some rain, but nothing too bad was forecasted. That night, the storm really had picked up, and it was becoming pretty scary with just a nylon tent separating us from the violent winds and rain. We suddenly heard our scoutmaster yelling for us. “Leave everything behind, we are evacuating to the barn!” We quickly threw on rain jackets and ended up spending the night in the hay and dirt inside the big barn that was on the farm.

The next morning, we returned to our campsite to see that nothing was there. It was all gone! After searching for a while, we found all of our tents and gear tangled up in a fence nearly a half mile away.

Storms can be scary and overwhelming for people at times. When those moments happen, it’s an important moment for you as the leader to step up and help guide others.

Be clear, concise, and intentional – The scoutmaster didn’t beat around the bush. Get up, get out, and evacuate to the barn, was all that needed to be said in our instructions.

Be a steady voice for those who are unsure or frightened – People will likely look to you for reassurance during these troubling and concerning situations. Be transparent and share what you can with others, and be caring and empathetic once you are out of immediate danger.

Communicate well through your non-verbals – Whether you are leading people in a virtual environment or it’s an in-person incident, people will be watching you. Be mindful of your non-verbal communications during these times, to ensure you are presenting yourself that is reassuring to others.

The cleanup is never fun, but necessary

Cleaning up after a big storm is never fun. I can’t say that I enjoyed moving a bunch of stuff in my basement and then drying everything out after the big rain. Picking up all the rain-soaked and torn gear caught in the fence in my scouting days wasn’t among the funnest things I’ve done either. Regardless, both were necessary. Some areas to consider as you work through clean-up from any kind of storm include:

The people- You need to check in on your people during physical storms, but you also do so during those proverbial storms that happen in work and life as well. How are they handling things after the incident? What support do they need to get back on their feet?

Assessing the damage – What damage has been done outside of the initial incident that led to even more trouble that you can fix now?

Work example: The storm may be due to a layoff situation, but some more trouble and drama was caused because a leader did not handle themselves well as the process was rolled out.
Home example: An unexpected medical incident has happened to someone you care about. You handled the initial situation well, but the stress of the situation and the impending costs caused you to make some poor decisions that impacted you and others along the way.

One of my former pastors once shared a statement that has resonated with me to this day. “You are either coming out of a storm in life, you are currently in one, or you are heading towards one.” That’s just life. Learn and internalize those leadership and life lessons that come from the storms in life so that you are better prepared for when the next one happens.

Make a better tomorrow.
-ZH