Published in the New Orleans City Business on March 22, 2020. Read the original article here.
I remember being in an executive committee meeting with the top 13 leaders of Maryland’s second largest health care system when the Pentagon was struck on September 11, 2001. We received word during the meeting about New York and we watched the second tower come down. Then the Pentagon was hit. We all went back to our hospitals to prepare for mass casualties from Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia.
Businesses and schools shut down and employees stayed home and sheltered in place for days while a new reality set in. In the days, weeks and months after that horrific day, we prepared our employees and the medical staff for possible follow-up attacks in the region; biohazard weapons, anthrax, explosives… everything was on the table. Anthrax attacks did in fact occur, and our hospitals and many businesses had to take extreme precautions. People in the communities we served were anxious or even terrified. We were under siege for months. Then and now, I thank God that another catastrophe of epic proportions did not occur after 9-11. I also remembered how important effective leadership is in a time of chaos. Looking back, here’s what I learned.
First, you must be the calm in the storm
How you act and react will be crucial to your colleagues and teammates. Being in control of your emotions is essential. You essentially have three behavioral strategies: fight, flight and pause -usually the best strategy is pause. Hit the pause button for three seconds, three minutes or three days; give yourself time to deescalate, then engage rationally. Recognize when you are having a strong negative emotion and examine what caused it (your triggers) so you can manage it better next time. Don’t forget your stress level is elevated, so things that didn’t bother you before may bother you now. Go take a walk, work it out in your head and then have the conversations that will define you as a leader today and tomorrow.