By that he means, it isn’t the fact that COVID is a crisis, we know how to deal with those, but because much of the economic effects, and second, third-order effects are unknowable, we need to use tools that can help us deal with the ambiguity.
Keith posts that in such times, leaders need to step up (he calls them leaders of FTOS- families, teams, organizations, or societies).
And what does an FTOS leader do?
1. Create communication nodes
People are going to be hungry for information. So you must take it upon yourself to be a trusted, reliable, primary source they turn to.
2. Keep your head above water
Just because everyone else is losing their heads, doesn't mean you need to. What people REALLY need is somebody who can stay calm and keep their eye on the ball, regardless of what events transpire.
3. Keep learning together
Keep taking in good information, keep learning, and above all, keep sharing. The faster you can learn collectively, the faster you can adapt, the more resilient to fortune you become.
4. Make micro-decisions
Since planning for the future is very hard during a crisis, you need to focus on the now. And being decisive doing so.
5. Bring some authority
As a leader, you are expected to create the narrative. So then, yeah, create it. Don’t just react to events. This is no time to ask, “Hey Gang, what do you think we should do?”, that’s not their job. Their job is to follow your plan. Your job is to create a plan/narrative worth following.
*Friend of Gapingvoid
Dr. Keith Merron is the founder and Managing Partner of Leadership Pathways, an organizational consulting and leadership development firm dedicated to helping organizations with bold visions to achieve high performance and industry leadership. Keith has more than thirty-seven years of experience assisting executives and managers in business, government, and education. In partnership with his clients, he has successfully conducted over twenty-five large-system strategic, cultural, and technical change efforts. Separately, and in the context of his consulting work, Keith has coached over five hundred CEOs and other senior executives who are committed to creating extraordinary organizations.
Keith received his Doctor of Education degree from Harvard University in 1985 where his studies spanned the fields of human and organizational development. He has published numerous professional journal articles and is the author of six books on human and organizational change.
