From "Hosanna!" to "Crucify Him!" What to do when your people change their tune.

Holy Week is so bizarre. We start the week shouting "Hosanna!" and throwing down cloaks and palms for Jesus to walk on. By Friday, we're yelling "Crucify Him!". But isn't this so true for leaders today? One minute we love them, the next minute we kick them off the pedistal. What is a leader to do?

Some scholars debate if the crowd at the beginning of the week was the same crowd at the end of the week. We’re going to assume they were the same crowd for now because we have all witnessed sudden polarity in crowds…and a little group sociopathy to boot. Fortunately, we can learn a thing or two from Jesus in this coming week’s readings.

1. Stay Grounded. Jesus maintained his mission until his last breath. Most successful leaders have established a morning routine that grounds them for the rest of the day, thus helping them stay focused on their mission. I highly recommend the Headspace app (no, I’m not getting paid to say that…I don’t even know how that works!). I’m currently giving Ignatian Spiritual Exercises a go using the book The Ignatian Adventure by a Jesuit named Kevin O’Brien.

   
   

2. Practice Servant Leadership. If you’re in a situation like this, now’s not the time to try out Adaptive Leadership or any other hip leadership buzzwords you heard someone say. Care for others by looking after their wellbeing. People don’t just turn on a dime on a whim. There had to be a reason. Find out what’s behind it. It could be a threat from the “king”, it could be a horrific diagnosis, or it could just be that they’re hangry. Take them to lunch and feed them. Relate to and with them. Show compassion to them.

   
   

3. Remain Authentic. Now is also not the time to re-enact Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Stay true to your values no matter how frustrated you might become. Do the right thing over the popular thing. If you find you’re struggling to do this, go back to item number 1 above.

   
   

4. Remember that Things Happen in Cycles. This won’t be the last time this occurs. Any story in the Old Testament will tell you that history repeats itself. Debrief once it’s over and determine how you can better respond the next time. If you want to break out some Lean/Six Sigma tools, list out the things that went wrong in your most recent crisis. Then determine if the things that went wrong were detectable. Also ask yourself what the likelihood of them happening again is. And finally, ask yourself how much impact they had. This information will take you far in preparing for your next cycle of chaos.

Whether you are the leader or follower in situations like this, remember that a little grounding and a little compassion goes a long way, as does self-care. When Elijah wanted to die to relieve himself of the death threats placed upon him, he was fed by God and told to take a nap. And that sustenance helped him go another 40 days. Take your time outs as you need to and get back out there. Your people need you.