One of the most encouraging words any leader can hear during a time of crisis is, “I am with you.”  Unity on the team is essential, but it cannot be assumed.  Just because your leadership group has a healthy history of decision-making does not guarantee that is still the case.

Sudden change changes people.  Difficulties test a leader’s mettle.  The facts can be confusing and then processing those facts can be even more complicated.  Team members may be angry, disappointed, sad, or even afraid of what’s next.  More than likely all those emotions are in play, and can cloud the judgment of the very people making the most critical next decisions.

Then the relational price of leadership becomes difficult to bear.  Necessary decisions can separate friends.  Spouses may disagree.  Criticism comes with leadership, and sometimes the weight of harsh words becomes too heavy.  Leaders who lead to be popular soon find themselves approved by fewer and fewer especially during a time of crisis.  And when popularity fades, resolve among men can be hard to find.

But crisis is a team effort.  The cause is too great and the cost too high to go it alone.  Here are seven key principles that will help you build your team during changing times.

  • Be gracious toward the people who created the crisis.

Trust is lost when leaders attack others even when it’s justified.

  • Be extremely clear and dispassionate about the facts.

Provide all the relevant information possible and no more commentary than is necessary.

  • Establish a biblical framework for decision-making.

The greater clarity your team members have about the decision, the greater courage they will have in working through the consequences of the decision.

  • Create a collaborative environment.

Team members may make bad suggestions or controversial recommendations.  But wisdom seeks counsel.  So be patient, learn from each other, and work toward the necessary conclusions.

  • Clarify who is leading.

A leader must lead, but he can only lead to the extent he is allowed to do so.  So establish clarity about who is now leading and what the expectations are for that role.

  • Take all the time you can afford.

When the team is crippled by sudden change, establishing trust, gathering information, and working through the process takes more time than you prefer.  But patience pays off.

  • Stand together.

Create a level of accountability that rewards courage and loyalty.  Leaders cannot lead from the dark, which simply means leaders support the decision publicly and privately.

It’s easier to make decisions than to live with them, and not every decision-maker is prepared for the weight of leadership.  That’s why crisis is a team effort.  Leaders need other leaders to provide counsel and to inspire courage that will lead to short-term help and long term healing for the people entrusted to our care.

Your turn.  How has crisis strengthened your team?  Use the comment button below.