Leadership Formation

"Seeing Plenty in Times of Scarcity"
Daniel Pryfogle

What are leaders to do in tough times? Conventional wisdom is a bag of clichés on this matter: Dig deep. Buck up. Buckle down. Most of us readily assent to these directions because the opposite surely doesn't sound like leadership: Give up. Jump ship. Get out while you can.

Our options, it appears, are narrow: Fight or flight. And fight must be right, for all the characteristics we generally associate with leadership gather here: courage, boldness, stamina, perseverance. So grit your teeth, Atlas, if your world feels a little heavy. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Flight means escape, and no leader really wants to run away. Literally fleeing is not acceptable; neither is it helpful to avoid the hard work by talking about soft stuff, such as mission, values, and feelings. That talk is abstract, especially in tough times when we need concrete action. That talk is fantasy when we need to focus on reality.

So the thinking goes. But is there another option besides fight or flight?

Yes, there is. It's the habit of paying attention to more reality. It's the practice of seeing plenty amid problems. It's the capacity to see wholeness amid brokenness, to see what's missed in fight or flight: more reality.

We're training our eyes this way in CHHSM's Walking the Talk program. We're reminding each other that resources are present. We're drawing attention to assets. Consultants and members, we're telling each other that something's working in the organization, though it may be hard to see. More reality.

Years ago, in 1991, in the thick of a recession, I was managing editor of a start-up community newspaper. Some would have argued it was a bad time to start a business, especially a newspaper when retailers and small businesses were cutting back on advertising.

But our team believed it was the perfect time. We knew our paper was good. And we knew the community needed it. Moreover, people wanted it. We realized early on that we didn't have to manufacture the passion for a community newspaper. That passion was abundant. All we had to do was pay attention, and participate. In this respect, our venture was truly entrepreneurial. The work was about leveraging what was already present - good stories, goodwill, great energy.

That's not to say we didn't struggle. Like every business, we had missteps. We fought with each other. In difficult periods, we let the negative define us. Sometimes we missed the energy readily available to us.

But at our best we dug deep - and not in the clichéd sense of extracting some last bit of personal power when everything around us is failing. No, at our best we dug deep into the good ground upon which we stood - a community of stories; a community rich with connections, history and possibility; a community of readers and advertisers who couldn't wait for our little paper to come out every week. We found plenty in reality. This year the San Leandro Times celebrates its 18th anniversary.

What are leaders to do in tough times? Resist the clichés, for starters. Consider other options. Trust in abundance. Try a third way.

OK, that's a little clichéd, but the point is this: There is an invitation to open our eyes a little wider. Yes, it's a strange invitation, and maybe an odd way of leading when the days are difficult. But who among us, in good times or bad, would not want more clarity, or more plenty, or more beauty?

So lift up your hearts, and raise your eyes. See more reality.

Daniel Pryfogle is director of consulting services for CHHSM. To learn how CHHSM's Walking the Talk program can benefit your organization, call Daniel at 919-460-7069.