“Whether realizing it or not, every leader now has the added job of being a psychologist.”
Leadership expert Henry Cloud—himself a psychologist—said the COVID-19 pandemic has added a new hat to already heavy heads. At a recent webinar hosted by a Christian leadership network, Cloud said the current pandemic has cost people around the world three key components of humanity:
>Connectedness
>Structure
>Control
“As a leader and a human, you are now called upon to lead in ways that are proactively and strategically intersecting these parts of how a human is constructed—making you something of a psychologist.”
And because leaders are people too, they’re dealing with the same losses. Cloud’s counsel to them and their teams: take small, intentional steps forward. Make a list of things you can’t control, and worry about them for 10 minutes, he said. Surrender those things to God. Then, make another list of things you can control, and outline the steps needed to move forward on that issue.
In the early days of the pandemic, Illinois pastor Rayden Hollis noted his leadership team was paying special attention to how they shepherded the congregation. They sought feedback on needs people had, and also encouraged churchgoers to lament and grieve an unprecedented season.
This moment is an opportunity for the gospel to become an ever-present truth for all of us, said Hollis, pastor of Red Hill Church in Edwardsville.
“We’re reminded of our imperfection. We have the opportunity to receive and extend grace to other people.”
–Christian Post, Illinois Baptist