This morning I looked back on my emails from one year ago. My heart began to beat a bit faster as I relived those moments of anxiety and fear I was feeling, while trying to portray a sense of calm for my staff. I thought I’d take a moment to share lessons I’ve learned (or relearned) over the last year.
Trust your instincts: I worked in field that was connected
to institutions in Europe, and in January/February of 2020 started to get the
sense that something was happening that we here in the US didn’t yet understand. I asked
colleagues at other organizations what steps they were taking. Few were
beginning to address the coming risk, tied up in those immediate tasks and
emergencies we faced daily. Yet, I asked my staff to think about the
actions we would take if the virus was to come to our area. Little did we know
what was before us.
·
Bill Gates
says, "Often you have to rely on intuition." The facts are
great, and we need them, but sometimes it boils down to what we feel in our
gut.
Manage from your values: For me, employee health, both in
terms of keeping the virus from our workplace and keeping our staff employed
was first and foremost.
·
Other
considerations will be pressing, such as financial liquidity, customer care,
and operational continuity; it is important to know your ‘why’ – what is going
to drive your decisions in the moments of crisis. Having a values rubric to run
decisions against is essential.
Understand that ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’ and
operate from that you do: As staff, board, and funders turned to me for plans
and answers, I had to say “I don’t yet know.”
I don’t know if we’ll resume regular functioning in two months, I don’t
know what our income will be over the next ½ year, I don’t know… But what I was sure of was the resiliency of
our organization and capabilities of our staff. I did know we were going to
make it through this crisis, but it was going to take each one of us, and each
one of us working at our best (or the best we could give at that moment) with a
willingness to try new things, learn what we need and think big. It was time to
embrace action, and not punish mistakes.
·
Missteps
will happen, but failing to act is much worse. Adapt boldly.
Overcommunicate: We began meeting daily and strengthened
direct connections to staff, board, donors, partners - everyone. Technology has
been our friend in bringing us together; not only zoom, but internal wikis or
google docs that capture issues, solutions, innovations, and best practices. Yes,
my eyes were glazed over at the end of each day from the multitude of zoom
calls – but I learned something from each one, even if it was that we’re on the
right path.
·
Effective
leaders ensure that they are involved and open to information from all the
ecosystems in which they operate.
Be willing to quickly change or modify plans: A year ago, the situation
was changing by the day — even by the hour. We quickly created staged protocols
to communicate what we would do as key indicators were met around us (in this
case the escalation or de-escalation of the virus), and rolled that out. To
enable us to use new information and to ensure staff had input, we marked the
protocol draft, and made modifications as needed.
·
Effective
leaders quickly process available information, rapidly determine what matters
most, and make decisions with conviction. During a crisis, cognitive overload
looms; information is incomplete, interests and priorities may clash, and
emotions and anxieties run high. Analysis paralysis can easily result,
exacerbated by the natural tendency of nonprofit organizations to wait to
build consensus.
Celebrate successes: Collect and amplify positive messages
—successes, acts of kindness, obstacles that have been overcome. Successes, by the way need not be perfect –
you can achieve without hitting every mark.
Human nature often causes us to focus on those misses – intentionally zero
in on those hits. We used our daily check-ins, staff communication thread,
monthly reports, and communications with board and the outside to celebrate our
wins.
·
Simply
staying productive in these times is heroic.
Take care of yourself. No colon there, a period. Hard stop. I learned this one the hard
way – putting others and the organization ahead of my health – we were going to
make it dammit, if I had to pull the sled myself. Not a good idea. What I
should have done was work to keep my mind and body in fighting shape by focusing
on mindfulness, meditation, diet – turning off my computer and phone, getting
out for walks. That’s what I’m doing now.
·
To
reliably deliver, we as leaders must maintain our level-headedness even when
others are losing their heads. So, even now, when things are calmer, establish
a routine of self-care: a healthy diet, exercise, meditation, or whatever works
best for you. Stock up on energy, emotional reserves, and coping mechanisms.
And ask for help when needed.
Lessons learned during a pandemic are good for everyday
leadership. This is the beginning of my list. Let’s grow it. What have you
learned over the last year?
Organizations by Design
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