Leadership In Uncertain Times

In the midst of a global pandemic and social justice action, I have been reflecting on what leadership is needed and what leadership I can provide, support, encourage, and foster.

I’ve been stuck trying to figure out what to write, or honestly whether to write at all.

Like a lot of folks, I’ve been through just about every emotion over the past several months - fear so gripping I can barely breathe, worry so strong I can’t slow my heart beat, anger so hot I’m screaming out loud, and sorrow so deep I just have to cry. Sometimes I can go through all those emotions in the span of a day….or even an hour. And I notice my feelings are sometimes right at the surface and it doesn’t take much for me to be really frustrated or sobbing in a puddle of tears.

And yet, I have an organization to help run. I have staff looking to me for leadership and answers. We have clients looking for help, information, and guidance.

As my colleague and friend Cassandra O’Neill said, “Leadership in uncertainty requires resilience and presence.” But how to keep up that resilience and stay strong and present in the moment during uncertain times? That’s the tricky part.

I found that self-care was at the core of it. Just making time to breathe, take a walk, eat a good breakfast, make a nice hot cup of coffee, take a hot shower, reach out to talk to a friend, or play with my dog all helped keep me grounded in the here and now and helped me find the calm and peace I needed to get my resilience back up and be able to be there for others.

I also think it’s okay to be messy about it all. It’s okay to be vulnerable and let others see that we don’t have it all together. Heck we’re human too and we’re all in this crazy mess together. We all have been dealing with feelings and kids in the background during our zoom meetings and hair in need of a haircut falling in our faces.

Through all that we can continue to provide leadership. We jump in, roll up our sleeves, and get busy. We find ways to continue our work virtually and stay connected with staff. We rely on technology to be our tool of connection – to be seen and heard, and to listen and learn. It’s different yes, but doable and positive.

And we can keep striving towards goals and our vision. We can remain in the present while focusing on the future to keep us forward thinking and inspired.

We have to persevere. We have so much to still work towards and fight for.

So hang in there. Take care of yourself. Embrace the uncertain. Persevere and be well.