Not COVID again!

Can’t we quit talking about the pandemic? Shouldn’t we focus on what’s happening elsewhere in the world? (We could, but I’m not sure it’s helpful in the long run.)

I get it, you’re done. We’re all done. It’s easier to focus on the chaos of the bigger news story, or focus on the useless distraction on TikTok or Instragram. But is this the best strategy for us to process what happened over the past two years? Is it the best strategy for us to move forward in a healthy way? Has it been working for us so far?

God is still for you.

God wants you to rejuvenate your relationship with Him, so that He can refresh the leadership gifts He’s given you. He has a purpose for you. And I’m convinced He wants you to lead again…to be a healthy leader again!

So let’s be honest with ourselves. We can’t just focus on a more significant crisis, and pretend we haven’t struggled. And we can only distract ourselves with fail videos for so long. We need to remember that there’s “a time for everything, and a season for every activity”, including “a time to heal”, and even “a time to mourn”. (Ecc. 3 – NIV)

Just like a good counselling session, we need to talk about the journey, to help us process the loss. We need to unpack the wounds we’ve experienced and take time to grieve. This is the path to recovery.

For leaders, the struggle has been amplified.

In any career, a person can experience wounds. Some come from specific situations with certain people. Others happen over time, where the wounds develop from fatigue and anxiety. If they’re not dealt with, the wounds get deeper, the work gets harder, and the suffering lasts longer. Eventually, it leads to complete burnout. (The body will eventually shut down if the mind doesn’t choose to!)

Leaders on the other hand, experience an amplified version of all of the above. Perhaps you’re one such leader? Leaders can be parents and grandparents in homes, CEOs of big companies, managers of businesses, teachers of schools, pastors of churches or directors of non-profits.

They all carry that unique leadership call that brings on a higher level of suffering during difficult seasons. And if you’re a leader, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Over the past two years you’ve felt it; haven’t you?

5 Experiences of the Pandemic Leader

1. Leaders experienced some bullies.

Many leaders witnessed disgruntled people transform into bullies over the past two years. When the world moved to online forums, it provided unique opportunities to reach a wider audience. Unfortunately, it also provided emboldened ambiguity to share opinions and criticisms that would not have been shared under normal circumstances.

We all realize that the COVID journey has hit everyone hard, and leadership makes an easy target to lash out against. Therefore, leaders have come through an extended time of criticism. Every little mistake, misstep, and misspoken word, sometimes from years prior surfaced, typed out behind the security of a screen, then in the worst cases, circulated or posted publicly on social.

2. Leaders experienced some anxiety.

Many leaders carried high levels of anxiety over multiple issues. Immediate pivots to the online work carried steep learning curves, some of whom were rooted in in-person work their entire lives. Then after the online work novelty wore off, performance and finance became significant concerns for many organizations. This, of course, was just before the mask and vaccine wars began!

Many people in many professions faced their first burnout over the past two years. Leaders became likely candidates due to the type of responsibilities they carry. Many of them pushed too hard, working long hours because they believed COVID would be a short season of hard work. With relatively pure motives I might add, wanting to endure for the greater good.

3. Leaders experienced some betrayal.

Many leaders felt betrayed on multiple levels throughout the pandemic. Rightly or wrongly, leaders assumed that staff members, fellow leaders and committed associates would endure this hard season with them. And truth be told, some did! Many, however, did not. When times got tough, and they experienced their own COVID-journey-pains, they abandoned their post…and their leader.

Some of them bunkered themselves in their homes out of fear. Some quit because it got too difficult to lead or serve. Some turned their backs on their leadership due to disagreement on health protocols, masks, vaccines, or ____FILL IN THE BLANK___. And some legitimately burnt out for similar reasons as their leaders did.

4. Leaders experienced some disappointment.

Many leaders experienced disappointment after disappointment during the pandemic. Yes, I understand, so did everyone! And yet, it’s important to highlight some of the unique disappointments that were centred around leadership. There was a constant barrage of disappointment that made it extremely difficult for leaders to keep morale high, and maintain forward motion.

There was disappointment in government officials for constantly shifting protocols, passing responsibility onto leaders; many of whom did not have the experience nor the desire to enforce. There was disappointment in team members and fellow workers who seemed constantly divided over every issue, ignoring calls to unite around common goals. There was even some disappointment in God for not intervening. (This is a hard truth!)

5. Leaders experienced some failure.

Many leaders faced a variety of failures during the pandemic. Well-seasoned leaders faced complete shifts in their roles and responsibilities, and couldn’t rely on many of their past tools and strategies. Organized leaders who always had a plan and schedule, including rhythms for rest, burned out. Some, unfortunately, even fell into moral failures for the first time, which cost them significantly.

There were failures to stay connected and network. If they could turn back time, they would have written more emails, mailed more cards, and made more phone calls. Most of them assumed, like everyone else in the world, that the end of the pandemic was just around the corner. They would see everyone soon, but the street just kept getting longer!

What happens now?

It’s time to get in recovery mode! Contact a Christian counsellor this week. Take a vacation or an extended time of sabbath rest. It’s okay to grieve what has happened instead of ignoring it or being distracted by what else is happening (or not happening) in your life and our world. Then you can start charting a course forward!

Remember, God is still for you! And He wants to use your leadership gifts to impact this world.

Join the Conversation; Share Your Thoughts

• What have you had to endure throughout the pandemic?
• How might you be hurting or suffering as we hit the 2-year mark?
• What wounds might you be carrying?