Leading in Times of Adversity

A discussion of the art of Leading through Adversity

No one needs to tell us that we are living in times of adversity.

Globally, nationally and locally we’re seeing adversity impact people at all ages and in all walks of life. The economic impact is just beginning and after 2 years of Covid lockdowns we have seen anxiety, depression and suicide rise sharply. The invasion of Ukraine and it’s consequences will only add to the anxiety and uncertainty.

You may be noticing the impact it’s having on your employees and family and I would suspect on you as well. A part of the issue is that this isn’t the way we had things planned. But then there’s James 4:13-15 that tells us we should be careful about holding on to our plans too tightly.

So, the question is; What are we holding on to that’s bigger than our biggest plans and how do we encourage others to discover the ‘bigger story’?

In thinking about this issue my thoughts went back to my first ‘Leadership Training Manual’ – the Boy Scout Handbook and I was reminded of our motto – “Be Prepared”. My family jokes about the amount of emergency ‘stuff’ I have in my truck.

So, looking at this principle in light of the adversity we and those we are responsible for are experiencing; How prepared are we to lead them (their hearts and minds) into deeper hope, strength and peace?

Into the Book

Adversity can be a relative term, but the bottom line is that it exists and it can have significant negative affects depending on the intensity and frequency. We’ll examine a few examples of adversity in the scriptures and in our world.

A couple of things come to mind . . .
How grounded am I? Do I have something that’s ‘bigger’ and more reliable than the formulas of the world to offer?
Am I prepared to ‘speak’ into the adversity and anxiety the world brings by the way I engage and respond to people and circumstances?

We should be living before a watching world (and they are watching) in a way that creates a curiosity and/or attractiveness especially when things go ‘belly up’?

We need to be doing this ahead of the adversity as we experience ‘smaller’ things in our families and our work. That way the curiosity and attractiveness are already there and folks will know they can look to us for leadership.

Into the Workplace

As leaders we must be ready to lead through adversity. We’ll dig into ways that we can turn adversity into strength and peace for our families and our employees.