Page 30 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2020

PEOPLE
Uncertain Anxiety: Fear of the unknown which ampli es other fears.
C.S. Lewis wrote in 1948 during the fears of atomic warfare, “The rst action is to pull ourselves together. When the bomb comes, let it nd us doing sensible and human things, not huddled together like sheep thinking about bombs.” Replace the word “bomb” with COVID-19 and it applies today just as much as it did in 1948.
Character in a Crisis
In a crisis, real leaders show up, or the crisis shows up the leader.
Crisis reveals what’s inside of us. Our choices shape our character, and a crisis simply reveals the results of those choices. Leaders who lapse into complaining mode, or who begin blaming others when things get tough, are the leaders whose bad choices are being brought to light.
Just like successful football coaches are able to make adjustments at halftime, great leaders can adapt to the uncertainty of the moment and nd a proactive solution that creates forward momentum.
Real Leadership in a Crisis
In crisis situations, leaders need to be a visible presence, which is why good leaders should do three things: show up with early, show up with clarity, and show up with hope.
Showing up early means staying aware of the situation and communicating from a position
of awareness. It means clear, honest and open communication that builds trust with your people.
Showing up with clarity means knowing the direction in which you want to move. Leaders can a ord to be uncertain, but they cannot a ord to be unclear.
Showing up with hope means having faith that,
30 | June 2020
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
LAUREN DAVIS Front O ce Coordinator
KATELYN HULTS, Digital Marketing and Advertising Supervisor
ASHLEY RUIZ, Operations and Bene ts Coordinator
“I am so thankful that Express gave me the opportunity to be a part of this family and now I have the honor of helping people nd the most precious gift, a job.”
“We are here for one thing and one thing only; to take care of our customers. We had to ensure that
“We have had the opportunity to meet so many people through our (Drive- through Job Fairs) and we understand that there is a need for unemployment, but we have jobs for those that are willing
we did anything and everything possible to keep our community moving forward and
get people to work as quickly as
to work. Our community
possible.”
needs those people and
we are the link that is making
it happen. It’s a great
feeling to be a part of
something bigger than myself.”