Leading Through the Fog

A few nights ago, church business led me out of town.  On the way home, I hit some serious fog.  I’m a “let’s get there as fast as we can” kind of guy.  So, needless to say, my tense and frustrated side was on high alert.  When the speed limit sign says 75 and I can only go 50, a pleasant trip home can easily be hampered for me.  With it being a late night and feeling fatigue from a full day of meetings only intensified the negative experience.  My shoulders and neck were stiff for days.  But the road time did give me some time to reflect and even learn a little.  Driving in the fog can lend itself to some similarities in leadership. 

Have you ever led when you really didn’t know what the future held?  Well, that’s leadership pure and simple.  We can have a perfectly laid out plan, and then life can happen – circumstances interrupt and/or people lack cooperation.  The best strategies will inevitably need tweaking.  And, sometimes, certainty is just not an afforded luxury. 

Here are a few lessons I learned while "driving through the fog":

(1) Find vehicles with bolder drivers and better equipment to follow.  In leadership, leaning on other more seasoned leaders can be an essential exercise in making it through the fog.

(2) Be certain with what’s directly in front of you.  You may not be certain of most things during a foggy time, but never neglect what you can be sure of.

(3) Remain comfortable with the slower speed, knowing it’s only temporary.  This is probably the most challenging for leaders, but critical in getting beyond it.

(4) Brighter lights don’t make it better visibly.  Forcing direction and distance is never the way to break through the fog.

(5) Pull over for a little while if the drive is creating too much stress.  In the long run, you don’t lose but actually gain in stopping for a personal Sabbath.

The idea is that fog is not permanent and shouldn’t create ongoing problems…unless wrong decisions are made while driving in it.  The leader is charged with the responsibility to lead by helping people through uncertainty.  The value and test of leadership is many times found in less than visible experiences.  Here’s the good news:  The fog will either lift or you will drive out of it.  The key in leading is to have the patience and determination to see your organization right on through it and know the air will be clear soon enough.  So, for the sake of your leadership effectiveness, keep leading through the fog.

If it’s foggy for you right now, what steps do you need to take in leading through this particular uncertain time?