Keeping Your Team Calm During Turbulent Times

by Elizabeth Gordon, Author of The Chic Entrepreneur

December 2, 2008

I flew back to Atlanta this morning from Philadelphia where I spent Thanksgiving with my family.  It was an early flight, so after reading for about 20 minutes, I began to dose off, not for long though.  I was soon awaken from my nap when the plane began to shake, rather violently in fact.  We had hit some turbulence and the shaking continued for what felt like at least 15 minutes.

Initially, I did what most people do during such a state of affairs, I looked at the person next to me to see how he was handling the situation.  But then it occurred to me that I could choose my own reaction to the situation, so I did.
 
I took a deep breath, forced a smile and told myself not to panic. I thought about what a wonderful time I had with my family over Thanksgiving and all the things I was grateful for in my life.  I looked out the window at the sky where the sun was just beginning to rise, and I focused on the calm straight line of the horizon to steady my nerves, my mind, and my thoughts.  Instead of worrying over everything I hadn’t done, I focused on everything I had.

Surprisingly, the pilot never got on to say anything about all this.  The absence of the calming voice of the leader led people to fret. I heard tense voices gasping for air in the rows in front of me.  A child started crying.  I could see one woman digging her nails ever so slightly into her husband’s with fear in her eyes, while he slowly turned a deeper shade of green.  As I looked around the plane, another woman caught my eye, as she calmly comforted her children and smiled.  The passengers quietly sought comfort from each other while not a word was heard from the pilot or flight crew.

This whole scene from my 6 a.m. flight made me think about a leader’s responsibility in times of turbulence.  Whether times are good or times are tough, it is a leader’s role to take charge of the situation and communicate with those on board what’s going on, why and what is being done to deal with it. It can be temping to ‘keep quiet and hope nobody notices.’ But whether you choose to hide from the reality of the situation or deal with it head on, it is your job as a leader to tell your team where you are headed and why, even when you are not headed in such a great direction.

Where you are going with your career in business depends greatly on your ability to take responsibility, be in the now, see the situation clearly – good or bad – and then tell it like it is.  There is no honor in not speaking up, in not contributing your thoughts, your observations, and your recommendations for how to deal with the turbulence; that is what you are there for.

Some people prefer to try to shield others from the truth, hording information, and rationalizing that it is for the people’s good to keep them in the dark. However, in doing so they relinquish their people’s ability to do anything productive to help.  The reality of your company or department’s current situation will not change regardless of whether or not it is communicated, but the future most certainly will. 

As a woman your instincts tell you to take care of those on your team, to lead them to safety and to do what’s best for all involved.  As a business leader it is your responsibility to do what is best for the company, as the business itself is its own living entity, which you are there to serve. 

There is no disputing the fundamental truth that a leader without followers ceases to exist.  Leadership is about connection, one of women’s strengths.  Seeing the world as an interconnected web rather than discrete silos is of immense value at all times, but especially in times of crisis. This is the frame of mind from which today’s successful women business leaders operate. This mindset has gotten her to where she is and will get her where she wants to go.  It is her ability to lead that will ultimately lead this economy in a new direction. 
The business’ needs are paramount, but they are best served when taking care of people, not just employees but customer’s, supplier’s and the community’s needs as well.  Everyone you touch in your business life is on your ‘business team,’ whether they work for you or not. 
Businesses are hardly faceless entities, but instead giant collages of faces – faces serving others, using their talents and gifts, building relationships, creating value, and building synergy.  All business at its core is about interacting, be it in person or through sophisticated or sometimes simple technologies. Without these faces, there would be no business.  Business is made up of people.  And a true leader let’s this truth lead her.