My View
Leading With Care and Compassion in Crisis Moments
BY DEBORAH S. PETERSON/School Administrator, November 2020

I REMEMBER the day during the last financial crisis when my boss — I’ll call her Ronni — announced an emergency meeting in her office across town. My heart racing, I let the vice principals know I would be leaving the high school campus where I was principal.

The last time I had been called across town for an urgent meeting, we received news that our superintendent had unexpectedly resigned. I feared news of a death, a sudden illness, something tragic. Instead, Ronni greeted me alone in her office with narrowed eyes and a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. That should have alerted me to what was to come.

Maybe if you had invited me to your parties, I would know you better, Ronni suggested. Yes, a few close colleagues had come to parties I hosted. A woman of your age? She raised her eyebrow. Yes, I had just turned 50. In this economy? Yes, our economy was taking a devastating downward turn. With two children in private college? I hadn’t shared that information with her. Seems you would be happy for any job I toss your way.

A Power Ploy

Ronni was reassigning me from a school where local journalists described me as a principal of four years who was beloved by the community to a school elsewhere in the district because we have to put her someplace.

Shaken, I drove back to my school, alarmed by the messages behind that brief conversation. I was afraid.

It seems a woman your age, with two kids in private college, in this economy, would be happy for any job I toss your way.

What I learned is that fear and intimidation are flawed leadership strategies in both practice and pedagogy. Sure, it might feel good to exercise your power as a leader, but in the long-term, influence wanes and credibility is diminished.

Modeling Care

It’s been a decade since that eerily personal and threatening meeting with Ronni. I’m happy to report that a woman of my age was able to find another job, and yes, in that economy. And no, I didn’t need to take any job that was tossed my way. I thrived under a visionary leader in another organization.

Undoubtedly, during the current pandemic, there are other bosses tempted to use workers’ fears for their families, unemployment and lost health care benefits to get employees to reach unreasonable productivity expectations, work in unsafe conditions or accept bullying.

Our opportunity during this pandemic is to work differently with our employees, to lead with compassion and to model shared sacrifice, to ask how we can support the work of others and what they need to feel safe, cared for and productive, to realize that every person responds differently to a crisis. Some shut down. Some feel sluggish. Others step up and step into roles to make up for those who are barely surviving.

Empowering Practices

We can use our power as leaders to increase opportunities for input on solutions, to discover employees’ passions, to create the conditions for our employees to want to work as hard as they can and to go beyond what we ask. Very few people go to work to see how little work they can get away with. People want to be productive, to contribute, to matter, to do good work for our students, families and community.

Yes, in these times school district leaders like Ronni will have to deliver bad news. Use strategies that empower the employee. Describe the decision-making process, who was involved, what data and priorities you used to make the decision. Be straightforward and honest. Show care for your employees as precious human beings, who will need time to process their response. Let them vent, ask questions. Solicit their feedback. Then help them move forward with the next stage of their career.

We have many examples of strong, strategic, collaborative leaders improving the lives of those in their care, even while delivering bad news and even during the pandemic. Let’s follow their lead.

DEBORAH PETERSON is associate professor of educational leadership and policy at Portland State University in Portland, Ore.