I’ve been a little bit hesitant to write this
article. To write an article entitled “leadership during a crisis” sounds a bit
arrogant. It implies that the author feels he or she has successfully exercised
leadership in a crisis and is now in a position to share thoughts with others—whether
they want those thoughts or not!
So, let me start with some caveats. I have not implemented
the following principles consistently. These principles are not original
thoughts with me. Many of these principles were gleaned not by observing my own
conduct but instead by watching other leaders in our church and community.
And this list is not exhaustive. I keep wanting to add more and more and finally I've just had to stop. There's much more that could be added in terms of practical leadership during a crisis. Maybe I can get Ben Davidson to write an article about that.
My primary audience is other shepherds. Hopefully
some of these thoughts will resonate with you as you serve your flock. All of
us will lead our church through some storm, whether figurative or literal.
1. Don’t force your leadership on others.
When a disaster strikes, two things are happening
simultaneously: some people are looking for leadership and some people are asserting
themselves as leaders. Those who are in the second group are not always suited to this task.
There were numerous times over the past few weeks
when I thought about Alexander Haig, the Secretary of State under Ronald Regan.
After Reagan was shot in March 1981 and undergoing surgery in the hospital,
Haig proclaimed to reporters, “As of now, I am in control here.” This rather ambitious
claim reflected the chaos reigning within the White House as people
wondered who was making the moment-by-moment decisions for the executive
branch.
In a crisis, there are going to be numerous voices shouting, "Follow me!". Many of them will be gone or will have faded within a day. Almost all will have disappeared within a few weeks. Now is not a time for egos and self-promotion.
As a shepherd, begin with caring
for those who have already been trusted to your care. If you are having to
assert to others that they need to follow your leadership, there is a real
chance that you aren’t really in a position to lead.
Here is how Peter describes it in 1 Peter 5:1-4:
So I
exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings
of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock
of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but
willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering
over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief
Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Begin with
your flock. Care for them with eagerness and as an example. Expand your care
for others as God allows. He will provide other opportunities to you if He
desires.
2. Remember
you are a servant, not a CEO.
Even in the best of circumstances, we struggle to
understand the difference between secular and biblical leadership. Our flesh
naturally wants our own name to be exalted.
That is compounded during a time of crisis. You
are not a general directing troops. You are a shepherd caring for those who are
hurting.
Failure to practice servant leadership during a
crisis manifests itself several ways.
·
We become frustrated and convinced we are working
harder than others (and wonder why more people aren’t noticing that!). Instead
of focusing on serving others we’re wonders why others aren’t serving us.
·
We are impatient with those we are trying to
help. Instead of being gentle with those who have gone through a crisis, we are
frustrated that they aren’t receiving our help the way they should.
·
We refuse to do menial jobs.
·
We find ourselves in conflicts with our
co-laborers.
May Jesus’ words be a strong corrective to the CEO-mentality
we as shepherds are tempted to adopt:
But Jesus called them to him
and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and
their great ones exercise authority over them. it shall not be so among you. But whoever
would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must
be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his
life as a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:25-28)
3.
Don’t
make up answers to questions that stump you.
When people are looking to us for leadership, there
can be a temptation to want to appear more knowledgeable than we actually are.
People ask us questions and instead of realizing we aren’t the best person to
answer that question, we give it a go anyway.
This is incredibly unhelpful. If you don’t know
the answer to something, just acknowledge it. Yes, people will sometimes be
upset with you and blame you for not knowing what they think you should know.
That’s OK. Maybe you should know it, maybe not. But you don’t.
In a crisis, poor communication is always a
struggle. Inserting wrong information into the communication stream will only
make it worse.
4.
Stay
calm and display that calmness in your demeanor, voice, and actions.
When we are tired or busy or scared, it is easy to
justify ungodly behavior and communication. I have a, uh... friend who has definitely been guilty of
that over the past two weeks.
A crisis is not an excuse for bad behavior. It is
in a crisis that what is truly in our hearts is revealed. Leaders demonstrate what true spirituality looks like: not just a pleasant demeanor
when the sea is calm but godliness when in a tiny raft in a hurricane.
How do we do this?
5.
Lead
in the Spirit, not the flesh.
So much can be summed up in this statement. Our leadership
is not of the flesh but in the spirit.
I think that’s hard to remember because the tasks seem so…physical.
There are boards to be moved and teams to be organized and deadlines to be met.
In the midst of all of that, it is hard to remember that even these are ultimately
spiritual tasks.
On Monday morning, we had our first full staff meeting since
the tornado. During our time of prayer, phones rang and people came in. At
first, we responded to these interruptions. But as we did so, we realized we
were neglecting that which was most important. We began our time of prayer
again, agreeing that we would let phones go unanswered if need be while we
sought the enabling work of the Spirit in our ministry.
Whether you are ministering in the Spirit or the flesh will
be made evident by your fruit (Gal. 5:16-26)!
6.
Try
to strike a balance in your decision-making process that allow for both
decisiveness and contemplation.
Our associate pastor Ben and I have long realized that we
offer important corrections for one another. Ben is a decisive leader who responds
quickly to needs. I’m one who wants time to process and make sure we are making
the best decisions.
In a crisis, both types of leadership are needed. When we
have time, it’s good to think about how decisions fit into the overall picture
and explore all options. But sometimes there isn’t that time and you need to be
willing to pull the trigger quickly.
There were times over the past two weeks where brainstorming
would have been a waste of precious time and a drain on Ben. There were other
times where we could afford to take half an hour and make sure we were being
most effective with our resources.
7.
Be
willing to correct course.
I’ve competed in a few sprint triathlons. The part
I enjoy the most is the swim. Swimming in a lake or pond is different than
swimming in the lanes in a pool. There are people all around you and it’s hard
to see. There aren’t the ropes on either side of you to keep you on course. It’s
important to mark out some landmark while swimming to check periodically to
make sure you’re still swimming in the right direction!
In a crisis, the waters around you are constantly
churning. A leader who demands consistency is going to be disappointed and
ineffectual. There should be a willingness to change direction quickly when
needed.
There have been numerous times where, as we have
kept our overall objective in mind (see below), we have realized a course
correction was needed. Maybe our resources were not being utilized efficiently.
Perhaps the needs had changed based upon a decision the city made. Whatever the
case, a good leader is willing to correct course quickly when needed.
8.
Prepare
other leaders ahead of time by entrusting and empowering.
A church that is effective in a crisis is not a
church of one or two leaders but a church with a myriad of servant leaders. If your church only has one or two leaders, you
are not prepared for every day needs much less a crisis. As Moses recognized in
Exodus 18, shepherding the people of God is not a one man show. There should be
many people in your church who are empowered by the church leadership to
exercise their spiritual gifts.
If you were to ask me what my greatest joys have
been in the midst of this season have been, one of the things I would point to
is the way believers have been exercising their spiritual gifts.
Everywhere I turn, I see competent, Spirit-filled followers of Christ working
hard. As they direct people or traffic or volunteers or
resources, they don’t need to constantly be checking in with someone else. They
know the overall process and where they fit in and are equipped to serve.
I would argue for many reasons that this is a crisis
we’ve been preparing for in many ways for quite some time by entrusting and
empowering other leaders.
9.
You
are leading people not projects.
As we get into the nitty-gritty of relief work, the
temptation can be to focus on the projects that are before us. Resist it.
You are not serving projects. You are serving people. And
not just the people who have been affected directly by the disaster. You are
also serving the other volunteers and relief agencies.
10. Don’t be manipulated.
All of us face the temptation to manipulate others to get
what we in our pride think we deserve. I was shocked by some of my interactions
with people and organizations who are volunteering to help our community.
Some of the people I talked with were incredibly demanding.
A relief organization is angry we don’t know what work there is for them to do
in a few days. A volunteer is indignant with one of the tasks we have for him
or her. A donor can’t believe we won’t accept their collection of old socks. Don’t
we care about those who are hurting?
I’ve learned that this is normal in the aftermath of a
disaster. As one pastor told a group of church leaders in the Washington area,
it is important to learn how to say no quickly.
Ministering out of guilt or by being bullied and manipulated
will not lead to the most God-glorifying ends. The good news is that those who are manipulators were scarce
compared to those who humbly wanted to help. I was encouraged by
those who graciously accepted changes in plans, even when it inconvenienced
them. Most organizations and people who showed up told us they were there to do whatever
we had for them.
Build your volunteer teams around people like that. Let the
manipulators leave. If you have to work to placate them today, you'll have to do it all over again tomorrow. You’re better off without them.
11. Stay focused on what is most important.
Tasks can become so overwhelming we begin to think
they are the end goal. They are not.
Before you begin any relief efforts, remind
yourself of this truth: you are a church. Your primary task is to glorify God
as you proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord to your community and prepare the Saints
in your church to worship God forever.
At the end of the day, you are not leading a
construction company or a hauling company or a bank. You’re leading a church. Your passion is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Build from there. Put a strong organizational plan
in place that begins with understanding your purpose. There are limitations to
what you can do. Start with what is most important and build from there.
Daniel,
ReplyDeleteas always, well stated.
I am blessed and humbled to be a part of a wonderful team of dedicated people.
You and Ben have lead with exemplary character and wisdom.
Amen to Kent's comments!
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned in church a couple weeks back that there was no seminary course for disaster prep. I thought at the time a small unit/session would in fact be appropriate in the pastoral training process. You have put down some very good ideas--maybe revise them down the road a few months in light of further experience and (perhaps in conjunction with the other staff) submit them to your school(s) or if there is some pastoral publication. The prayer time and purpose statements key. Your very last line is also key--maybe add the specific wording of "and your people" or the like.
ReplyDelete