Leadership under fire…
A story of true grit in a crisis moment
“Fire, Fire, Fiiiiire”, rang through my house last Tuesday evening as I hosted 80+ guests at a welcome reception for new parents to my daughter’s high school. I was at the front door welcoming a teacher when I heard one of the parents screaming “fire, Jenny we need your help”.
Keep your composure in a time of stress
I quickly ran to grab the fire extinguisher and thankfully, a parent assisted me in extinguishing the fire. The smoke and soot in the kitchen was overpowering. I was advising people to go outside when the fire alarms in the house started wailing (better late than never).
So much for a relaxing networking opportunity for guests. Parents immediately jumped into action, cleaning off the foam on the stove top, removing charred container remains, wiping and scrubbing off soot from appliances, walls, and the ceiling.
Demonstrate Grit In a Time of Challenge
I was personally mortified that the social event I had envisaged, moved from being a reception to a full-on cleaning party by amazing parents. These individuals demonstrated team-work, showed real grit (while getting very gritty), and best of all, a sense of composure and humor. I am so grateful to the team of women and men, some I had known for less than a year and others less than an hour. I was ushered out of the kitchen and encouraged to keep socializing with new parents and assure them all was okay.
So you may be thinking… how did this kitchen fire actually happen?
With so many people attending the potluck and bringing food, the overflow of food was stacked on the range. People continually circulated in and out of the kitchen to the dining room to replenish the table. At the time of the fire, there must have been 20+ people chatting in the kitchen. Although not entirely certain how the fire started, perhaps it was as simple as someone leaning against one of the stove knobs and unknowingly igniting it. Some of the plastic based containers immediately caught on fire. Luckily all was contained before there was any significant damage.
Most importantly no one was injured. My gratitude goes out to everyone that acted fast in putting out the fire.
Collaboration and seamless teamwork
Parents stepped up in the kitchen, becoming the best-dressed cleaning crew you have ever seen. My recall of the kitchen was not of the blackened ceiling, sooty walls or appliances but of the parents working seamlessly together in a true picture of coordinated teamwork.
Networking 101
I do not think that anyone that attended the reception expected this kind of excitement to occur. It was like putting on a planned energizer and team activity all rolled into one. It definitely changed the feel and course of the conversations, they became more fluid, relaxed and there was definitely more and louder laughter after everything settled down.
I have attended and hosted many professional events and receptions in the past. Networking is something that is not enjoyed by the majority, however once the ice is broken the conversations and relationships that can be formed can be quite amazing.
Nothing is as healthy as a good belly-laugh after a time of stress
I laughed so hard with so many of the parents afterward. The potluck will go down in the history of the school as being one of the most entertaining. It won’t be forgotten by anyone that attended for many years to come.
You may wonder why I am writing about this event, and how exactly it relates to my area of expertise in leadership and performance? This event clearly demonstrated effective leadership and teamwork practices including:
- Calm leadership in a time of crisis
- Clear and articulate communication
- Exceptional, collaborative teamwork
- Ease of delegation
- Engagement and commitment
- Bonding during, and after a time of crisis, and
- True grit (yes, you can only imagine how much elbow grease was needed to get the majority of soot off the ceiling and appliances).
I spoke to every single person in attendance and we shared somewhat nervous laughter around how something that could have ended quite terribly worked out so well. The comments the parents shared and thanks I received as they left at the end of the event were priceless.
You have to envisage the individuals as they were leaving in their lovely clothes and shoes sprinkled with soot on their outfits or hair and laughing with me as we were so relieved that all turned out well. I sure do know how to host a shindig!
As an experienced leader, in a time of challenge, I do automatically go emergency mode to turn events around. When you have your next work fire to put out, do the same – embrace it and treat it as an opportunity to practice your leadership skills and shine. Or, when you go to your next networking event, jump in, don’t be a passive bystander. You never know who you will meet or how you may work together in the future.
If you have a story to share on leadership, performance or teamwork I encourage you to connect with me on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/JennyReillyConsulting/.
If you are interested in developing your leadership skills, presence and improve your productivity, please let me know and I will keep you informed of The Leaders’ Inner Circle membership that I am launching in July.
