What is the job of a business leader during a crisis?
Brian Evergreen
Author of Autonomous Transformation (Wiley) | Former Microsoft, Accenture | Senior Advisor, Researcher, and Keynote Speaker
Hello, and welcome to Future Solving, my newsletter for leaders and managers navigating what it means to lead in the era of AI.
I’ve had nothing to say about AI or business transformation this week.
Between meetings and appearances carrying out the commitments I’d made, I’ve spent this week grieving, observing, reading, and processing the attacks on Israel, the counterattacks on Hamas, the global discourse on what is true and what isn’t, what is fair and what isn’t, and the responsibility people believe different groups and individuals around the world bear for their direct or indirect involvement, or things they’ve said or haven't said about what has happened.
When I ponder the role of a business leader during a crisis such as this, I'm reminded of Stephen M. R. Covey 's Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence model.
I am deeply concerned about what is happening in the Middle East. But I have no influence with which I can change the outcome of the coming days and weeks.
I do have influence, however, in my organization, my city, my industry, and my network, and so do you.
Recommended by LinkedIn
It's easy to freeze in the face of a global crisis, to fight and express political opinions or to stay silent for fear of being criticized, but as a leader of a social system made up of people, the most important job for business leaders right now is to care for the people around you where you do have influence, such as addressing the mental health of team members who have seen or heard about unspeakable acts of violence, who are grieving, or who are afraid for their own safety.
Ignoring a crisis will diminish people's trust in you. Expressing overt political beliefs will likely do the same. It's an extremely delicate tightrope, but it's worth risking because your people need your leadership in this moment far more than when everything is going well.
Thanks for reading,
Brian
Brian Evergreen is the author of Autonomous Transformation (a Next Big Idea Club "Must-Read" shortlisted for the Thinkers50 2023 Breakthrough Idea Award), an executive advisor, Senior Fellow at The Conference Board, and the host of the Future Solving Podcast (eighth episode with Tiffani Bova, 2x WSJ Bestselling Author and honored 2x by Thinkers50, can be replayed here).
Enterprise Architect. GRC. AI. AGI. Mergers and Acquisitions. Supply-Chain. Retail. Finance. Data Science. Automated Change Delivery. Clinical Science.
1yBrian Evergreen this is a great post and VERY forward thinking. At first, my knee-jerk reaction was to think 'look at this, see what the world can be like, and don't look away'. Not everyone is as OLD, battle-hardened, trauma-endured, and I would not want my children to not have their hands held by those who have seen the worst, to guide them through events that shock us to our core. GREAT post, Brian... very cool mindset.
Strategic Intervention @ OBrienWrite |
1yI realized during trauma that I do not personally have a partition separating work from other parts of my life, I still have to find a way to be effective without too much overwhelm. My tendency to see things as an ecosystem rather than a situation often frustrates other people who see clearly defined lanes for business functions. I just do the best I can.
Retail and Mobility Innovation and Growth -- with AI, Gen AI, and Robots
1yI believe this is a stark reminder about how we need to be fostering kindness and empathy and support for everyone with whom we work and engage. We need kindness. We need happy people in this world. People who don't hurt other people at scale as we have seen in the middle east this week. Thank you Brian for sharing your thoughts.