Last week’s shooting at Fort Hood was a sad, unnecessary tragedy that no community should have to live through. And until the fabric of our society grows past this trend in violence, we will have to continue to prepare for such events. When these tragedies do occur, how the involved leaders respond can determine how damaging the events become, as well as how the public reacts to them.
Unpredictability will be a hallmark, it seems, as will national media attention. This means is that the small-town sheriff, or the unknown hospital supervisor, or the base’s commanding general could progress from ‘business as usual’ to ‘nationally-televised responsibility’ in a matter of hours.
Put another way…the most challenging event in a leader’s life could be just around the corner.
Even though Fort Hood’s commanding general is no stranger to summoning peak performance at critical moments…he didn’t start April 2, 2014 thinking he’d be mitigating a terrible crisis with an audience of millions. What does this example show?
Leaders must live in the mindset that their talents will be put to the test in some unimaginable, untested way…caused by an event that is alarmingly unpredictable. Leaders will have to show staunchness in seeing the tragedy through, while at the same time empathizing and consoling their organization. They’ll have to find a surge of energy at the end of an already-long day, and then continue that pace for weeks. Which means they will have had to live a life of readiness, having developed both the talents and the physical/mental capacity to endure the test.
Questions for Leaders:
- What tragedies could appear on your organization’s horizon?… Financial loss? New competitor? Loss of a key team member?
- Do you have a system for preparing for crises? Does your organization think about and prepare for worst-case scenarios?
- When tragedy strikes, will your organization look to you for guidance, inspiration, and support? What type of leadership does it respond to?