The Reason I Haven't Posted in a Week

One week ago today, I was lying flat on my back looking at the low-hanging ceiling of a life-flight helicopter.  My right leg was cocked at an unusual and uncomfortable angle, painfully yelling for attention.  At the same time, a highly trained medical professional relieved the deadly pressure around my collapsed lung.  His skill is the reason I’m alive today and writing this post.

When my wife arrived at the scene of the accident, she was informed by the police that I had been involved in a serious car accident resulting in numerous head injuries, several broken bones and a right hip that was severely broken.  She was told I had been life- flighted to Geisinger Medical Center.

She called our three children – one who lives here in Williamsport PA, one who lives in Fort Collins CO, and one who is married to a pastor and lives in Lancaster PA.  They all immediately stopped what they were doing.  Even the pastor stopped his sermon.  They all rushed to be with their mom and to stand at my side.

A Leadership application: performance requires preparation.

You cannot know the exact situation that will emerge in your context – but you can put policies and procedures in place that enable people to make decisions.  Don’t solve every contingency.

A framework:

• Create a framework rich in values and loaded with mission.
• Crisis provides new opportunities for existing and emerging leaders to perform.
• A framework provides an opportunity for organizational and leadership development.

If you can be tough on values and vision – crystal clear – you enable and enhance performance during times of crisis.

Thank you for your concern.  I won’t be online much.  I’m hopeful for a full recovery in six months.

Tags: Leadership, Leadership Development, Organizational Development