Great Leaders Offer Hope
Great Leaders Offer Hope
During the first five months of 2020 we’ve experienced multiple crises. People started the year preparing their vision for 2020, drawing a comparison with having 20/20 visual acuity. But I’m sure no one had this vision for five months filled with: Political uncertainty, a pandemic, economic meltdown, Supply chain interruption, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, killer hornets, senseless killings, protests, and riots
Any one of these crises requires good leadership to navigate through it. But for leaders in government, businesses, community services, health care, and families, to manage all of it together is overwhelming. Yet every organization has some role based on their purpose, to address these situations. And as people are looking for solutions, answers, and a way forward, it’s the responsibility of leaders to offer hope in the midst of turmoil. (more…)
All across the U.S., after several months of orders to stay at home, shelter in place, and work remotely, resulting in many places of business being shuttered, the pressure is on to open up the economy again. The “save lives” focus is shifting to “save the economy.” Several states are venturing forward by opening public spaces and business-to-consumer locations.
As we navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, the biggest crisis in our lifetime, we’re hearing about many acts of heroism, kindness, generosity, and creativity.
This is Part 2 of the Introduction (read Part 1 
I frequently begin my leadership insights with a story, but none is needed today. We all know the story, and the title is COVID-19. It is a pandemic that has impacted virtually every country and continent in the world. The potential for serious illness and loss of life is enough to make all of us quickly change our normal routines, postpone or cancel what we previously thought to be critically important meetings, and stockpile supplies (including more toilet paper than we know what to do with, me included).
Jeb came home exhausted at the end of the work week. But it wasn’t just this week. He felt the same way every week. Regarded as one of the smartest leaders in the organization, Jeb was working hard on several major projects which would bring tremendous revenue to his business unit, and he was on the short list for promotion to vice president within the next two years at his company. This was the big leap he had been waiting for. But somehow, the leadership approach Jeb used during the first 20 years of his career wasn’t working like it had in the past. Three months into a new assignment, he was beginning to experience greater difficulty in motivating and aligning his team’s individual interests with corporate goals, getting them to bring new ideas forward, and collaborating with peers in other business units. Left unaddressed, his results would be negatively impacted. So Jeb knew he needed to change his approach to leadership quickly, but he wasn’t sure what to do 
Kevin crouched near the edge of the cliff
Think of a
This is a conversation I’ve been engaged in with multiple leaders over the past month. These are individuals trying to move their careers forward and balance their own desires and interests with the expectations of others in their environment around appearance, style, communications and behaviors.
How many times have you attended an event and purchased raffle tickets to win something of value but with one hitch? You must be present to win. You couldn’t just show up for a little while, leave early and hope to learn or hear something interesting or to engage with someone who might be a mutually beneficial business connection. You had to stay…until the end…because that’s when the winners were announced. Even if you didn’t win a prize, you had a greater opportunity to gain something of value from being there until the very end.