Leadership in Turbulent Times

The Dance Between Emergency and Crisis

I’d like to share some thoughts about leadership in times of transition. In a way these moments are becoming increasingly part of our lives. For some of us, they’ve been part of our lives for a long time in an ongoing almost sustained basis. Or they’re at least recurrent and overlapping enough that it seems as if we’re always always dealing with transitions. War, pandemic, and political upheavals…not to mention the everyday crises in our professional and personal lives…have presented an exceptional confluence of uncertainty.

Against this turbulent backdrop my team and I have had worked alongside the World Health Organization, engaged with public health officials from some of the largest U.S. cities, supported Ministries of Health in Africa and their community health workers on the ground, and partnered with the U.S. government on health equity. Through these experiences, we’ve gained valuable insights into the art of leadership in times of crisis.

Whether it’s a sudden leadership transition within an organization, a personal challenge or a societal upheaval, it’s useful to differentiate between crisis and emergency.

Leadership in Emergency (Technical) Phase

Provide a steady presence.

During the emergency phase, leadership requires a steady presence imbued with emotional intelligence. You must speak to the wide range of people’s experiences, understanding that each person in your team or community is grappling with unique challenges and emotions. In times of emergency, individuals look to the people in charge for reassurance and stability. Your ability to maintain a sense of calm and empathy is key. Recognizing and acknowledging the emotional turmoil within your team or community is crucial for instilling a sense of security.

People’s responses to emergencies vary widely. Some may be in shock, while others are filled with anxiety or anger. To address this spectrum of emotions and experiences, you need to have it emotionally available within yourself. Be careful that your own defaults, preferences and work avoidance mechanisms don’t get in the way of being emotionally available to others who have different responses than yours.

Embrace initiatives that inspire.

Even during emergencies, it’s imperative not to abandon initiatives and projects that have already rallied people’s enthusiasm and commitment. They represent a source of shared purpose and motivation, mobilizing your team or community when you need it most. Leverage these efforts with enthusiasm. Don’t abandon them or let them fall by the wayside when emergency strikes. The emergency might necessitate alterations to the original plans or timelines. This adaptation is not a sign of weakness but rather a pragmatic response to the evolving circumstances.

Separate yourself from your role.

People in position of authority often become the targets of frustration and anger. It’s not personal. In times of emergency, you must weather the criticism in order to take on an additional role as a source of comfort and stability. It’s crucial to understand that people are seeking reassurance in you, not just your position. Separating your identity from the role allows you to provide this reassurance effectively.

Leadership in Crisis (Adaptive) Phase

A crisis phase often lurks beneath the immediate emergency. This is a time when true leadership is needed. Here, the focus shifts from stabilizing the situation to creating the conditions for adaptive work and for your team to develop its adaptive capacity.

Create an environment without fear of repercussion.

Adaptive leadership thrives in an atmosphere where people feel safe to voice their concerns, even if those concerns challenge the status quo. Encourage open dialogue, active listening and constructive feedback, ensuring that no one fears repercussions for speaking up.

Support people in taking responsibility for the well-being of the whole.

Crisis often reveals our interconnectedness. Help people recognize their role in the broader context and the impact of their decisions on the collective. This sense of shared responsibility encourages proactive problem-solving and collaboration.

Regulate conflict and distress to let issues ripen.

In the adaptive phase, you must navigate the complexities of conflict and distress. Rather than suppressing these challenges, pace and channel them constructively. Allowing issues to “ripen” means giving them the time and space to be fully understood and addressed. This process involves patience and the ability to resist the urge for quick, technical fixes when the fix is worse than the problem.

Lastly, acknowledge your own mistakes.

Characteristically, times of emergency exhibit three defining factors: high stakes, high uncertainty and time compression. During the emergency phase you will have undoubtedly made mistakes. Probably many of them. You might have put in place emergency measures without full information or data. Or maybe you reacted hastily to the detriment of key relationships. Set an example by acknowledging your own fallibility. This practice of owning our own piece of the mess, both during the emergency response, and perhaps even in the lead up to the crisis itself, fosters humility and a shared commitment to growth and adaptation. When you admit your mistakes, you create a culture that values honest, learning and growth.

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The first step in leadership during times of turmoil is recognizing the phase at hand, exercising leadership and authority appropriately, and creating an environment where underlying adaptive challenges can be tackled. Leadership, in essence, becomes a dance between continuity and adaptability, providing reassurance and stability while swiftly — and even joyfully — navigating the possibilities ahead.

Eric Martin is the Author of Your Leadership Moment. He is also the Founder of Adaptive Change Advisors (ACA), the preeminent organization for mission-driven Adaptive Leadership development.