Leadership in Chaos

This week the car wash opened! I was excited to drive through and wash the dirt off the car that had accumulated over the last 7 weeks. As I pulled through I looked around at what was taking place. The lights seemed darker than usual and soap appeared thicker than in the past. There were giant brushes spinning, hoses, cloths and sponges coming at the car from all angles. The soap covered the windshield and I couldn’t see. There was noise all around me and many things happening at one time. In that moment I reflected back on my children who at one time in their life were afraid the first time driving through the car wash. I understood why. It can be dark, scary, a lot of new things they had never experienced before were taking place. It didn’t feel safe and they could not see what was on the other side. They looked to me for reassurance that they will be ok.

As I reflected on this memory it made me think about my role as a leader. Our job is to listen, show compassion, let our teams express how they are feeling, and then do our best to reassure them. We may not be able to predict the outcome, but we can lead with intention and provide calm during the chaos.