Beth and I boarded a plane in Orlando and took off for our flight to California. The flight was calm and very comfortable until we reached the California border. The plane weaved, heaved and bobbed as we descended to land – The pilot came over the intercom to warn us to buckle our seat belts as the plane heaved this way then that way. After recovering from the shrill gasps of the passengers, the interior of plane became still with fear. The pilot did his best to get the machinery on the ground, but had to abort the landing not only once but twice. The plane rolled and the fuselage seemed to stretch as it was twisting and turning, and the pilot announced he was going to try again. The tension and stress could be seen on the faces of the passengers as some closed their eyes, others grabbed their rosaries and others gripped the hands of their children. The closer we got to the ground, the more we could see the wind whipping the trees and causing all manner of havoc. Finally, the announcement – Ladies and gentleman this your captain and we are going to divert to another airport.
When things are going well and the business or ministry is almost floating along on auto pilot, chances are you will feel some turbulence in the minutes ahead. Perhaps the most urgent task of leadership is first to acknowledge what is happening. The hide your head in positive sand will not work in most cases. The idea that if I can just shield people from the facts that surround the situation and ignore it, it will pass or they will not be affected by change is very naive. You must be visible and ready to move and turn on a dime. Agility is an added advantage to plans you have set in your hardened concrete thinking and plans.
The idea that everything will remain the same and you can do everything the same way and you have lots of time to do it can be very unrealistic. Freedoms and opportunity have slipped right out from under many people of the world because of decision and choices of the leadership or the fact that the general population adopted new norms, thought or actions. History is filled with examples of the wealthy becoming poor and destitute overnight. There are examples of complete societies disappearing. Think of the businesses that were household names while you were growing up that now are on the garbage heap of the companies that are no more. Think about the ministries that have disappeared or that are re engineering today because of past mistakes and leadership deficiencies. Think of the mega churches that have experienced loss and change. Think of the denominations that have been rocked and are no more. Think about how many leaders who carried big names in history are now buried in disgrace.
We are seeing this played out in front of our eyes in America. So much is going right, so many decisions are making things better, but we are hitting times of great turbulence that we will all have to experience whether we are the passengers or we are the leader. The fact is, when a catastrophic event occurs, most shift their mind set to neutral and grieve. This happens in things like hurricanes or other natural caused disasters. It is at times like these leaders must acknowledge facts and give time for the momentary shock factors to sink in.
You as a leader must be ahead of the crisis if possible. You need to keep a sharp eye open for the indicators of change. Recognize the early signs and be flexible. It is important for you to watch the undercurrent of thought and action that begins in the grassroots and often leads to change. What are people thinking, what are they doing? What seems to be the trend in thought morals and beliefs and what seems to be gaining momentum? Scan the horizon to minimize risk and to maintain momentum should be the goal. Stay focused on the goal but do not hesitate to have the difficult conversations. Just remember in turbulent times don’t keep doing the same things. You may need to calm and steady your followers. To weather the turbulence, you must stay committed to the dream and at the same time, you must be flexible to make changes that may be necessary. You must respond to changes in circumstances with a balanced steady approach of problem solving. Don’t stop looking for new approaches and new ideas - develop new and different ways to achieve to ultimate objective. One of the most important things a leader can do in times of turbulence is to welcome discussion and mastermind thinking. – Collaborate and strengthen relationships in order to secure the dream.
Finally “its not being in the right place at the right time, it being the right person, even when you find yourself in wrong circumstances,” Mark Batterson The Circle Maker