A Leader Knows How to Navigate
Through Rough Waters

By Lucy L�pez-Roig, Ph.D.

A dear friend of mine and her husband love to sail and often compete in regattas around the world. She once told me about a time when they were caught in a sudden, violent storm while sailing across Lake Michigan at night. They feared for their lives when their power went out, ship to shore communications failed, and the enormous waves threatened to swamp the boat. Thanks to their superb sailing skills, they were able to survive the long night and make it to shore the next morning. I believe that the courage and fortitude my friends displayed that night are the same attributes seen in leaders who are able to guide or direct a group of people under adverse circumstances.
 
If you are reading this newsletter, you may be a leader. Perhaps you lead a family, an organization, a department, a group of employees, a professional association, a club, or several volunteers. Being a leader does not necessarily go along with a job title. There are people with impressive titles who are not leaders, as well as leaders without official designations.
 
If you are able to influence other people to move toward a goal, you are a leader. You know it is relatively easy to lead when things are going well. Morale is high, there is a feeling of optimism and hope, and your team feels secure and confident. But what happens when the group you lead is undergoing a financial crisis, a major change, or a threat to its very existence? At those times, your leadership will be tested.
 
When faced with this kind of challenge, leaders may follow their habitual patterns of behavior, and magnify them to a dysfunctional extreme. For example, the leader who has always been a poor communicator now becomes even more so. The shy leader hides in his or her office. The leader who is usually insensitive turns ruthless, and the hypercritical leader blames everyone else for the problems the company is facing. The passive leader becomes paralyzed, and the anxious leader is spreading panic throughout the organization. Although understandable, these responses are counterproductive or even disastrous to an organization. A team in the midst of a storm needs its leader to effectively communicate a strong, clear vision of how it can direct its energy constructively and find its way home.
 
What choices can a leader make besides just letting his or her natural behavior take charge? Unfortunately, there are no simple and easy solutions, but following are a few general principles, derived from experience:
 
Take care of yourself first.   When giving instructions on the use of the oxygen mask, flight attendants tell adults to put on their own masks first before helping the children. The reason is obvious, the child depends on our being able to think clearly and take proper action, and we can't do this if we are unconscious. Likewise, a leader who is paralyzed by anxiety or consumed by exhaustion is in no condition to help others through a difficult period. Excessive anxiety interferes with clear thinking and problem solving ability. If you expect your team to remain calm, focused and weather the storm, you must be able to set an example. In a crisis, all eyes are on the leader. This is a time when you should be especially careful to take care of yourself - physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You are facing unusually demanding circumstances and will need an uncommon portion of strength and stamina.
 
Be courageous.   In the face of organizational upheaval or serious financial problems, a leader can be tempted to abandon the ship. As humans, leaders can feel overwhelmed, discouraged or fearful. It is important to face and overcome such reactions, in order to lead the group. When the leader projects an attitude of facing reality head-on and seeking the best ways to deal with it, this helps the rest of the team to do the same.
 
Have a clear vision.   Plan a strategy for tackling the problems, based on a vision of the final result. That vision might be, for example, a lean and effective organization that is equipped to take on the competition. Or it could be a compassionate and carefully planned phase-out of operations in which everything possible is done to help workers make a transition. When you are at the helm in a gale, don't lose sight of the lighthouse on the shore.
 
Communicate.   During a crisis, leaders sometimes go into seclusion and avoid communicating with the rest of the employees. Their motives may be to evade unpleasantness, to protect themselves, to avoid creating panic, or just simply because they don't know what to say. Unfortunately, a lack of formal communication leads to an increase in the amount of emotionally charged, distorted informal communication within the group. Proper communication in a difficult situation requires thought and planning, but it is always better than no communication. If the situation will have an impact on your human resources or if you are counting on them to help you through it, they deserve to know what is going on.
 
Get help.   A leader who is called upon to guide the group through hard times sometimes feels alone and depleted. At the end of the day, when everyone else goes home, the leader assesses what he or she is doing. Despite the confidence he or she projects to others, many questions come to mind. "Are we doing the right thing?" "Is this the wisest course of action?" "Are there other alternatives we should be considering?" This soul-searching can be a sign of a thoughtful leader who is aware of the complexities of the situation and of his or her limitations. It helps to share this process with someone who can serve as a "sounding board", ask pertinent questions, point out other possibilities, and generally be supportive. This person could be a trusted colleague, a mentor, or an external consultant who will not be directly affected by the outcome and will be free to respond objectively and sincerely. Confidential, professional assistance is also available through your company's Employee Assistance Program.
 
Traversing rough waters is a test every leader must face sooner or later. As in any challenge, it can be an opportunity to grow, to learn, and to demonstrate the stuff you are made of.