When there is trouble leaders need to be present. Your team doesn’t want to receive an email or a phone call. They want to know you really understand the situation and care enough to help – in person.
A team in crisis doesn’t want the one way communication of email instructions. Even with emoticons and well placed capitalization there is no real EMOTION in an email 😉
A team wondering what to do next doesn’t need your cell phone call from the airport while you are catching a flight in the other direction. They know you are busy, but imagine how busy you will be if this situation doesn’t get handled the right way.
Your team needs help. You need to be there. Here’s why:
You can’t show comfort if you are not there When trouble is upon us, people need the comfort of someone they trust telling them it will be alright. As George MacDonald said, “Few delights can equal the presence of one whom we trust utterly.”
As leaders we need to remember that closeness brings comfort where distance yields despair.
President Abraham Lincoln regularly visited his troops during the Civil War to bring comfort and Civil War General Ulysses Grant once said, “The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity.”
You can’t see what’s not being said if you are not there. People caught in a frightful situation are often fearful of opening up to what is really happening unless the one who can make it right is there to make it right. If you aren’t present to see the situation and the people first hand, you won’t really understand the depth of the problems.
“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” – Peter Drucker
You can’t demonstrate crisis leadership if you are not there. The best leaders use every situation as a teaching and mentoring opportunity. Established leaders have been in tough situations before and have learned how to come out the other side successfully. If you aren’t present with your people, you can’t show them how it’s done.
“All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.” – John Kenneth Galbraith
7 Responses to Leaders: Troubling times require you to be present
Marilyn Parker on Facebook December 30, 2013
I want to be the one they trust. I love to be there for people.
The Leadership GPS on Facebook December 30, 2013
Marilyn, I can tell that from your comments.
Marilyn Parker on Facebook December 30, 2013
Thank you!
Chris Saint Cyr December 30, 2013
Two thoughts. The first is to develop your people so in time of crisis they only need you like their safety blanket when they were children, not really necessary for safety sake, but nice to have around. The next step is developing leaders who can survive when you cannot be there. If you are out of town for a meeting, out of state visiting another location or out of the country on vacation, it is not always possible to be at the office and have a life worth living. While it is important to be around in a crisis, it is just as important for your organization to be able to function when you are not around
Denis G. McLaughlin December 30, 2013
Chris thanks for your thoughts. I agree as a leader you should develop your team to lead on their own- you are right on. What I was speaking of was the real crisis, the game changing events. Sometimes you just need I be there.
Ron January 2, 2014
Denis… A wonderful post… very thought provoking!
Most leaders have one or two preferred styles or roles. A time of crisis may require a leader to step into several roles – Autocratic decision maker, Problem solver, Coach, Consensus leader, etc.
To your point, if a leader is not present in a time of crisis he or she cannot adequately fill the needs of his organization during a time of turbulence.
Thanks so much for a great article… Ron
Denis G. McLaughlin January 3, 2014
Ron, thank you for your wonderful addition – leaders also need to play the right role when they are present.