Servant Leadership in Uncertain Times

It’s a rainy day and I finally have ten minutes before my next meeting. I hear a buzzing sound and it’s my cell. I quickly glance over and see it is one of the developers on my team. It’s Jim*. He sounds unusually nervous and rushed. That’s odd, he is usually very calm and collected. A few minutes into the conversation, we get to the real reason for his call. He wants to know if he is next. My current company, like so many others, has been deeply impacted by COVID-19. Painful decisions have had to be made, and it has personally affected the morale and livelihood of my team.

As leaders, how can we support our teams when the future is so uncertain? I believe it is times like these that show others the kinds of leaders we are. My team wants to do meaningful work and provide for themselves and their families. They want to be proud of what they build and what our company stands for.

So what do I do? I give them reality and show them the bigger picture of where our company is trying to go and our role as a team. I listen to their fears and struggles, respect their views, and celebrate the small wins. We try to find ways to come together virtually as a team. I take their concerns and ideas to my leadership team and do my best to advocate for my team. Sometimes I lose. And I have to live with that.