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In tough times all great leaders stretch in the direction of a challenge. On the other hand, followers shrink from or in the opposite direction of a challenge. Realize this truth, you are not made in a crisis, you are revealed by it. When squeezed oranges and lemons reveal their nature. Human beings when squeezed by the pressures of our day reveal what is on the inside – negative or positive.

This is going to be a 2-part Podcast with this one being the first. We will look at principles that I have learned from a variety of authors, speakers and teachers. In full disclosure, I must admit my profound privilege to be a founding member of the John Maxwell Company. My learning has been accelerated by a factor of 10x.

Let’s dive into part 1.

During Tough Times, Leaders ……

Face Reality

The first responsibility of a leader during a crisis is define reality. Peter Drucker stated that times of turbulence are dangerous times, but the greatest danger is a temptation to deny reality as a leader. Why is it hard to face reality? Here are some possible reasons. (1) Leaders tend to surround themselves with people who are like them (2) Leaders have selective hearing 0 hearing only what you want to hear (3) Leaders engage in wishful thinking (4) Fear of contrary viewpoints.

Simply stated, facing reality is to see things as they are, not as they were, or we wished they were. 

See The Big Picture

It has been stated that vision is the world’s most desperate need. There are no hopeless situations, only people who think hopelessly. Andy Stanley suggests that uncertainity is not an indication of poor leadership. It is the opposite – it indicates a need for leadership because there is always an element of uncertainity. A leader’s temptation is to think that if I were truly a good leader, I would know exactly what to do. Realize this truth, Leaders can afford to be uncertain, but we cannot afford to be unclear. People will not follow fuzzy leadership!

Make Good Choices  

Consider the choices you should have made prior to tough times. (1) Settle your values – Who I am (2) Mission – What I do (3) Responsibilities – What must I do (4) Potential Problems – What should I do.

Consider choices that you make during tough times. Peter Drucker offers some excellent wisdom here. (1) Courageous Decisions – What must be done? (2) Priority Decisions – What must be done first? Drucker suggests first things first and last things not at all (3) Change Decisions – What must be done differently? (4) Creative Decisions – What are my options? (5) Support Decisions – Who can help me?

In any decision-making process there is a finite number of options, usually not more than five. They include (1) Keeping things the way they are; and (5) Changing everything in a dramatic way. Which only leaves you three options – Pick one!

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Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!