Leading with Purpose Through Crisis

The current moment is not just disruptive, it is destabilizing.

Organizations across the social impact sector are facing existential decisions with limited time, information, or support. The ripple effects of recent political shifts, funding freezes, and ideological pressure are reshaping the landscape in real time. Long-term strategy has taken a backseat to survival. Crisis is no longer a future scenario—it is here.

We have been among those encouraging leaders to 'stay nimble.' But what this moment actually demands is something more decisive, more grounded, and more human.

This is where strategy and communication must operate as one. Plans mean nothing if they cannot be communicated with confidence. Messaging means nothing if it is not backed by an intentional and decisive strategy. 

In moments of crisis, people need to know the reality, feel steady in the hands guiding them, and understand what to do next. That is the role of leadership now, not just to weather the storm, but to chart a course through it.

At the onset of the pandemic, we were called in to help manage both strategy and leadership support for an initiative that needed to pivot quickly amidst enormous uncertainty. In those early days, our work centered on guiding teams through the unknown, shaping communications that kept stakeholders informed, and leading strategic decisions in real-time. The lessons from that time resonate even more now as leaders face a new wave of uncertainty and danger scenarios.

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1. Understand the Crisis Before You Respond
You cannot address what you do not fully understand. In a true crisis, the presenting problem is often not the real problem. Many crises are triggered by external threats. What matters is identifying what is within your control, assessing the extent of the impact, and clarifying the options available.

A client providing STEM-focused summer programs, like most in-person youth-serving organizations in 2020, could not do anything about the virus. They could not do anything about team members having to work remotely or in-person programs having to be shut down. What they could do was focus on their community of hundreds of students who would be without summer learning or their peers. While they switched to virtual, as we all did, they also empowered their mid-level managers to take on more leadership in communicating with team members and families. They understood that, after the obvious health concerns, their biggest threats were uncertainty and disappointment that beloved programs could not go on. By inviting those who worked most closely with their families to directly listen to concerns and respond with timely updates, they were able to control how information was disseminated and ensure consistent messaging both inside and outside the organization.

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2. Avoid Analysis Paralysis
In crises, time is a luxury that rarely exists. Decisions must still be thoughtful and intentional, even under pressure. Frameworks that allow for "strategy sprints" or agile strategy processes are critical. The goal is not perfection, it is rapid assessment, quick iteration, and setting clear success measures within a realistic timeframe for review and recalibration.

As FDR said, “Do something. If it works, do more of it. If it does not, do something else.” The point is to move. And to keep moving with purpose.

When faced with sudden shifts in their environment, one client immediately moved into scenario planning mode. The framework was not perfect. It was not built to anticipate every variable. But it gave them the clarity and momentum to move forward, adapting quickly while staying grounded in their mission.

The key to this kind of rapid design and iteration is not just movement, but assessment. Agility without reflection becomes noise. Leaders must not only test but also learn. They must build in intentional pauses together with their teams to capture what worked, what did not, and why.

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3. Communication May Be the Strategy
Not every crisis calls for reinvention. Sometimes, the right move is to stay the course. But even that decision requires a communication strategy. When leaders assume “there’s nothing to share,” silence fills with speculation.

This is where the Ladder of Inference comes in. People draw conclusions quickly when they do not have all the facts, especially during moments of uncertainty. A lack of updates often leads to assumptions, misinformation, and anxiety.

Take an organization reaffirming its current direction after months of strategic planning. Without explaining why that decision was made and how it will support long-term goals, the message falls flat. The team knows there were hard conversations behind the scenes. If leaders skip the “why now” and “what comes next,” they leave space for doubt to take hold.

Even in stillness, communication is an active strategy. It provides clarity, steadiness, and trust, especially when there is no big news to share.

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4. Ground Every Action in Your Values
Crisis will test you more than your strategy. It will test your values. Jon Stewart put it plainly: “If you do not stick to your values when they are being tested, they are not values: they are hobbies.”

This is where many organizations falter, not because they lack values, but because they abandon them under pressure. Values are not a veneer for good times. They are the filter for hard calls, public scrutiny, and internal disagreement.

Every decision during a crisis should be pressure-tested against your stated commitments. Ask, “What does it look like to navigate this moment in a way that is consistent with who we say we are?” Consider the full spectrum of risk, including losing the trust of those who believe in your mission.

Some organizations choose to stand firm, even when it costs them. Patagonia’s environmental stance, including decisions that go against short-term gain, is one example of values in action. It is not always clean or easy. But it is clear.

Values-aligned decisions may not please everyone. But they are the ones leaders can stand behind when the crisis has passed.

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