Ken Hersh is no stranger to crisis.
The CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center has weathered three near-death business experiences during his oil-and-gas career, plus the financial debacle of 2008.
These baptisms by fire taught the 57-year-old the importance of building a strong culture with open lines of communication and where people feel empowered to come up with ideas without being criticized.
While the Bush Center is in physical hibernation, Hersh is using the time to bolster its online presence and connect with its constituents virtually.
“I’m not going to say that we haven’t missed a beat at the Bush Center, but all systems are go, and people are feeling really, really good," Hersh says. "We’re proud to work where we work. We’ve done more than just roll with the punches.”
So what are his leadership tips?
For starters, don’t freak out.
Then follow his three-step plan.
Overcommunicate
Hersh sends out a daily update to his entire staff about what his day was like. He humanizes his messages by talking about mundane things like trying to fix a paper jam in the printer or how he had to fish an important email out of his spam folder.
He’s doubled the executive team teleconferencing to twice weekly. And once a week, there is an all-hands-on-deck conference call. Each division is constantly on the phone with its team.
He sends memos to the Bush Center board and leading donors to assure them that things are copacetic. “I want them to understand that we are taking care of our team and that we’re pivoting where we need to pivot," Hersh says.
Overcome
Prioritize what you’re doing.
Make contingency plans for various lengths of shutdown.
Build flexibility into your system so that people know that things could change.
Limit your news sources and the number of times a day you check them. “It’s easy to become paralyzed by information overload," Hersh says.
Over-care
Reassure people that the organization is going to be OK.
Urge them to take care of their physical, emotional and mental health.
Maintain personal and professional engagement: “Physical isolation doesn’t mean social or intellectual isolation. Call an old friend. In my daily update, I write about my conversations with that day’s old friend. I’ve called the groomsmen in my wedding, some people I shared a hall with my freshman year. These are wonderful conversations. It’s a good chance to laugh and reassure people that everything’s going to be OK."
Practice good self-care. Make sure you exercise, eat right and rest. You’ll function better.
“Remember, when there’s tragedy, there’s amazing goodwill that mobilizes in this country," Hersh says. "That will truncate the damage done by the epidemic.
"There will be green shoots to celebrate.”
