Last week, one of the things we said was that organizations goes through either a period of change or a period of crisis. Either of these two must take place in the lifecycle of any organization. And we extensively looked at the roles that the System Leader must play in order to walk the employees into this new change. Today, we want to examine The System Leader in Crisis Management. What is expected of a System Leader during a period of crisis in the organization. But before we proceed, let us define what Crisis Management is for a proper understanding of what we are talking about.

 

Crisis Management is defined as the way and manner a leader handles threats which has the potential of stalling the organization’s process. It talks about strategic interventions that immediately nips such threats in the bud before it gets out of control. This is what crisis management entails. So, what is expected of a system leader in times of crisis? Let us find out from the word of God. Daniel 2:13-16 and Matthew 8:23-27.

 

“So, the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.¹⁴ Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; ¹⁵ he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel. ¹⁶ So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation.”

Daniel 2:13-16

 

“Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. ²⁴ And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. ²⁵ Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” ²⁶ But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. ²⁷ So the men marvelled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Matthew 8:23-27

 

In these passages we saw the story of two different leaders at different times and occasions being faced with a crisis situation and their response. In the case of Daniel, we saw how calm he was even in the face of death, and how he was able to make enquiries about the situation. In the case of Jesus, we saw how unfearful He was, even in the midst of a storm and how He calmly rebuked the crisis (the winds and the sea) and it obeyed Him. What does this account then suggests to us as leaders? It simply suggests that in the midst of a crisis, the leader should KEEP CALM and not fret!!! The reason is because when you are not calm, when you are fearful and worrisome because of the crisis, your mind would not be settled enough to be able to ask the necessary questions, just like Daniel, or know what to say to the crisis, just like Jesus.

 

The next thing to do is to seek for counsel. We have said it severally on this platform that a leader is not a “know-it-all”, almighty and all-powerful individual. Leaders need to seek counsel when they are faced with difficult situations and circumstances. Any leader who wouldn’t seek for help would cave in to pressure. Even though you may already know what you would do to come out of the situation, it is also important that you seek counsel or help as the case maybe, in times of crisis. In John 6:5-6, the Bible says: “Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.”

 

Even though Jesus knew where He would get bread from, He still asked Philip nevertheless. In Matthew 27:32, when Simon of Cyrene was compelled to bear the cross of Jesus with Him, Jesus didn’t say “Simon, don’t worry, this is my cross, let me bear it alone.” He simply obliged Him to do so. In Daniel 2:17-18, the Bible says: “Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, ¹⁸ that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.” Notice Daniel didn’t turn the whole thing to a one-man show, he also asked for help from his companions. So, the point is this: One effective way of managing crisis is by simply seeking counsel or asking for help. It is going to go a long way in reducing the pressure on the system leader to a bearable measure.

 

The next thing to do after seeking counsel, is to Act. In a period of crisis, the system leader isn’t expected to be complacent, but to act. In Nehemiah 4:1-4 and 2:4-5, the Bible gave us an insight of what it means for a leader to act in a time of crisis with the story of Nehemiah. The Bible says:

 

“The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan^[a] the citadel, ² that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. ³ And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.” ⁴ So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”

 

“Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So, I prayed to the God of heaven. ⁵ And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

Nehemiah 2:4-5

 

In these passages, we saw how Nehemiah heard about the destruction of his homeland and how sorrowful he was about the news. And in chapter two, we also saw how he made attempts to do something about it. The period of crisis is not the time for the leader to be wallowing in self-pity or blaming the who team for the crisis. Now that there is crisis, getting out of it should be the preoccupation of the leader.

 

So, in summary, the system leader in crisis management has the following things to do: Keep calm. He must not be seen to be under pressure thereby leading to not knowing what to do. Secondly, he must seek for counsel or help. We saw this in the life of Daniel and Jesus. Lastly, the system leader must act. Nehemiah got the news, he was devastated about it, but he didn’t stop there. He acted to save his homeland from the wanton destruction that has been meted upon it by the enemies. I believe you have learnt something in this week’s edition of Leaderview.

 

Thank you for your time, my name is Abiola Obayomi and until I come your way again next week, stay leading and God bless you!

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Obayomi Abiola Benjamin!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!