Blizzard, Winter, or Ice-Age?

I remember clearly my thoughts at the moment of the Corona Virus shutdown in Mid-March 2020. I literally jumped from my recliner at the announcement that everything, but essential industry would remain open. Churches went dark overnight without a single question being raised. Now what do we do? I knew in an instant the COVID journey would be more than an interruption, rather, it would be a serious disruption! Now that we are in January 2021 and looking back I seriously under-estimated my original feeling and assumptions. We lived through and continue to live in a BLIZZARD!

Using the winter motif allow me to define some terms for better communication on how to lead in blizzard conditions. Here are three terms:

Blizzard: You can’t go out — zero visibility and hostile conditions. Need to shelter.

Winter: You can go out, but not for long. Wear protective clothing and check the forecast for storms. Need to survive.

Ice Age: Things don’t grow the way they used to — but we’re finding new ways to live and even to thrive. Need to adapt and rebuild.

In mid-March 2020 with the realization there would be shut-downs, the thought of survival immediately came to the fore-front of our thinking. Organizations, Schools, Churches, Travel, and Food Service all began to imagine what is it going to take to survive these blizzard-like conditions? By mid-April 2020 it was understood that 10% of organizations would be unaffected; 10% would see this time as an unprecedented opportunity; the remaining 80% realized their operating playbook and strategy does not translate during these blizzard social conditions.

Some of the most trusted faith leaders and content creators in mid-April last year stated three key steps to survive that are more true now in 2021 than when fist spoken.

• Sustain your core mission in a time of scarcity
• Prototype everything for a different reality and future
• Compound the trust and reputation of your organization

Out of this foundation for Redemptive Leadership to be significant there are three questions that demand a response. These questions emerged 45 days after the shutdown in 2020 and they still demand a response in 2021.

• Where do we have newly unlocked freedom to be creative?
• Where are these newly possible opportunities to restore broken norms, flawed assumptions, hurting people, and inefficient channels?
• Where can we as leaders and organizations take risks, even sacrificial ones, for the sake of others?^[i]

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^[i] The Praxis Journal has been an invaluable resource during 2020. There content can be accessed at journal.praxislabs.org. I would especially draw your attention to Andy Crouch as a significant contributor to Praxis Journal.