Interim Leadership during a Crisis: How Organizations can Thrive in the Midst of Grief
Serving as an interim leader has its complications under the best of circumstances.
In September 2018 I was appointed interim executive director of the organization for which I had been working, first as director of development and then as chief operating officer, for eight years. It was not under the best of circumstances. Our longstanding executive director was diagnosed with (and ultimately succumbed to) a serious illness and the board appointed me as interim executive director within days of receiving the news. It was a time of shock for the organization — staff and board, the hundreds of people in the health care advocacy movement who had come to admire the executive director — and, of course, for his family.
Serving as an interim leader has its complications under the best of circumstances, but serving in an interim capacity during a time of crisis and loss adds layers of emotional considerations that might not emerge during other types of organizational change.
My stint as interim ended mid-September 2019, nearly a year to the day from when I assumed the role. Although no one set of best practices will be applicable to all interim scenarios, I found that the steps outlined below helped to make it possible for the team and the organization to thrive despite the deep sadness and grief that followed an abrupt loss.
Be clear about your primary goal
My primary goal was to make it possible for everyone to remain focused on their work. Knowing the importance of the organization’s mission to the staff, I wanted to provide leadership and decision-making that would instill confidence about how the organization was being managed and preserved. I did this by being unswervingly steady, calm, and reassuring. A primary goal can be most anything (e.g., keeping the business on course, meeting fundraising goals, retaining staff) as long as it translates into a solid throughline — the premise that you return to when you are not sure what to do or when you are faced with competing demands. Let it inform your next steps. For sure, it is wise for all leaders to have a guiding light to help steer their decisionmaking, but it is especially true for an interim. Typically, interim leaders do not have much of a runway because weighty decisions must be made quickly, and as a result, guiding principles and goals take on even more significance. Furthermore, once you have a clear sense of an ultimate goal it becomes easier to identify those behaviors, cultural practices, people, and opportunities that will enable it and those that will inhibit it.
Bridge the past, the present, and the future
In order to lead during a time of crisis and grief you have to be vigilant and able to traverse time with members of your team. Different people will be in different time “zones” at different points, so at any given moment you may be called on to reminisce about the past, be in the moment, and/or prepare for the future. There will not be much predictability to it, but flexibility and responsiveness to where each person is situated within their own progression will help create an atmosphere of support and trust. As leaders, we know the importance of change management and preparing staff for the future, but during a time of loss, clear communication about the inevitable changes that are coming must be matched by sensitivity and giving people time to adjust at their own pace. Some will find solace in memories while others will be in the here and now or planning for five years from now. Do not mistake this time travel as denial. It is what people need to do in order to cope and be productive. Join them where they are.
As an internal interim executive director I had the advantage of having built trust with staff over my years of service. Not all interim leaders will have this same luxury. Coming in to an organization cold, without any relationship building in place, will make it more difficult to read the room, but if you meet people where they are and move with them in time, you will see a swift payoff and sense of appreciation.
Just say it
Communicating clearly and honestly is Leadership 101, but being able to deliver difficult news over the course of months requires a remarkable level of thought, patience, and resolve. As the interim leader during a crisis, you have to be the person who says the most difficult things there are to say (e.g., someone is ill or died); you have to be the person who has nothing to offer but bad news (e.g., the prognosis is not good); and, you have to be the person to say these things over and over again, in writing (e.g., to stakeholders), in one-on-one conversations, and in front of groups of people (e.g., at staff meetings).
Being clear, direct, and honest is one of the greatest considerations you can give to people during emotionally trying times. Even if there is nothing new, it is important to be explicit and say so. By communicating in this way, you help people worry and speculate less. Likewise, if there is information, but it is confidential for whatever reason, say so. The key here, to building trust, is to make good on your promise and deliver the news when you can. Follow through.
Additionally, remind people what you said you would say, that you said it, and then say it again. During a time of upheaval, information can be difficult to process and/or recall. Moreover, not everyone is in the same place at the same time, or reading email, or at a staff meeting. It is repetitive and time-consuming, but over-communication is key. In fact, I would argue that “over” communication is a misnomer. Communicate. A lot. In the long run doing so will help reduce angst.
Finally, if there are questions to which you have no answers, say so. I found that having no answers, but a plan to get them is better than wrong answers or responses that placate, but do not really inform.
Acknowledge new staff
New staff (i.e., those hired after the crisis occurred) require special acknowledgment. It is important to identify concrete ways for them to be supportive and valuable. Be open when orienting new staff and let them know that they are joining your team under unusual circumstances so that they do not get caught off guard. In my experience, new team members will rise to the occasion and be a source of strength to others.
Rely on your team and hire specialists
You might be tempted, as an interim leader during a crisis, to fix everything. Not only is doing so untenable, interim situations that involve unexpected or disturbing circumstances require a set of tools that are rightly provided by specialists. Top on your list of people to engage should be the director of human resources. Ask that person to immediately retain professional grief and crisis counselors and be prepared to provide counseling services — onsite and remotely — as the organization progresses through different stages of grief and change. Also, whether you are an internal interim leader or someone brought in from the outside, be sure to delegate. Know what you do not know, surround yourself most closely with people who want you to be successful, and let others take the lead where and when they can.
A team can thrive in the midst of grief. Although being in the “in-between” can be disconcerting, it does not have to be detrimental to an organization. Communication is key and making it clear that the organization — and you as interim leader — are strong and well able to withstand disruption is an essential message to send and repeat.
