Contributed by John Hackett Ed.D.
No one likes uncertainty. If you don’t believe that, ask yourself this question: What is the first thing you look for when you enter a dark room? My guess is you feel for the light switch to turn on the light, making the uncertain surrounding certain. You can clearly see the items you could have stubbed your toe on.
Today’s Uncertainty
The current world pandemic of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a large dark room, and we are still searching for the light switch to illuminate the causes and cures. As I write this article, the Centers for Disease Control are calling for a moratorium on meetings with over 50 people for the next eight weeks in the United States. We have certainly lived in troubled times before. The Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, The September 11 attacks, and the Great Recession come to mind. We weathered those storms due in great part to leadership. As John Maxwell noted on a leadership podcast this past Friday, “The leader has to be the voice above the noise of calamity and fear.” That doesn’t always mean a good leader has the perfect quick answer. Napoleon’s guidance on the topic was that,
“A leader is a dealer in hope.”
Napoleon
5 Considerations to Be the Voice Above the Noise
How can this translate into what you do in your workplace, school, church, or your family during this time? Here are five things to consider to be the voice above the noise.
- Be the voice above the noise. Review your disposition and mindset toward this situation. Everyone you lead and serve will be watching your actions and modeling after your disposition.
- Be the voice above the noise. Get as many facts as possible from sources without an agenda. Don’t be concerned with headlines or popularity polls. An excellent example, in my opinion, is Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. The Center for Disease Control.
- Be the voice above the noise. Be honest about what you know and don’t know, and clear it will take time. Don’t provide false hope or demise. Dr. Fauci models this; he is accurate about the scope of the pandemic and projects as transparent a picture of the possibilities as he has them and how the actions being taken are for the best to blunt the effect of this disease.
- Be the voice above the noise. Be calm and clear about what you can do in any of the organizations you lead or serve. We can wash our hands for 20 seconds, cover our sneezes or coughs then rewash our hands. We can follow the guidelines of our leaders. We can, above all, stay home if we are not feeling well. Taking actions like this helps us feel a bit more in control.
- Be the voice above the noise. Look out for those around you. Check-in on your elderly neighbors and family around you to see if they need something from the store you could pick up for them. A family project would be to call relatives and neighbors and send them notes. We can all practice being kinder and more considerate to others as they struggle with these times of uncertainty.
We are all in this together. You may not discover the vaccine or treatment to end this pandemic. We can choose to make our part of the world better. We can all shed more light into that dark room until the light switch is found and turned on.
The question for you is: Will you choose to be the voice above the noise to those you lead, love, and serve?
John Hackett, Ed. D is an accomplished and experienced coach, trainer, writer, and leader in a variety of educational and other nonprofit and direct sales settings. He has 48 years of professional experience. He has trained, coached, and consulted with school districts, universities, social service agencies, and churches and direct sales organizations, police departments, and law firms. He is a growing, learning entrepreneur in coaching and training who is passionate about equipping leaders to develop other leaders to serve.
He has been married for 42 years to Becki, a 41-year entrepreneur, and has three daughters and two grandsons. John is also a long-distance, open water swimmer and aqua-bike triathlon competitor.
John is a certified trainer and coach with the Direct Selling World Alliance. He is the Lead Coach Trainer for the FUSE Business Training group and a member of the John Maxwell team
He can be contacted to provide training, coaching or consulting.