Projecting Calm in a Chaotic Climate
Higher ed marketing leaders used to be able to predict the times of year that were most likely to be frenzied. The end of the semester, May first deadlines, and budget season were inevitably harried. Over the past several years, however, the pace of change in higher education has increased exponentially. It now seems like chaos is constantly lurking around the corner.
Real leaders shine in the mayhem moments, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy to navigate. They’re challenging, often conflict-ridden, and can take a significant toll. Often, leaders find themselves responsible for projecting a sense of calm that they don’t completely feel, but that they know those around them need.
While leaders cannot always know when the next big hurdle will present itself, they can take time in more serene seasons to plan for complexity. In doing so, leaders can work to reduce their own anxiety by preparing for the future. A plan may not calm the storm entirely, but it can empower leaders to communicate a “Keep Calm and Carry On” message effectively with four key audiences.
Categorize the Chaos: Setting the Tone for Your Teams
Team members look to their leaders for cues on how to respond to the unknown. They may be feeling concerned, afraid, or even panicked. Whether consciously or not, they’re likely looking to their leader to levelset their emotions and reactions.
Leaders can empower their teams to find calm and clarity by categorizing the chaos. Succinct, honest discussion about the matter at hand can go a long way. Maybe this is a definite threat. Perhaps it’s a possible problem and there are factors to consider. I could simply be an unknown.
Categorizing the chaos realistically helps leaders set a rational tone, raise a warning flag, and resist the urge to hit the panic button.
Ethan Braden, Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Texas A&M University, said he thinks about finding calm through categorizing chaos in terms of golfing.
“When you are most relaxed, you swing freely and are far more likely to play your best round,” he explained. “When you are tight, especially standing on the first tee with people watching, your swing shortens, your hands get rigid, and the ball rarely goes where you intended. Organizations behave the same way. Too much tension narrows thinking. Calm expands it.
“A recent boss embodied this for me,” Braden adds. “He used to say, ‘Try it. If it doesn’t work, learn and don’t do that again.’ That mindset was incredibly freeing. It removed fear from decision-making and replaced it with learning. It created speed through confidence instead of hesitation through anxiety. That is a leadership lesson I carry with me every day.”
Align, Assess, and Accept: Working with Partner Offices
When a team or department experiences chaos, the people surrounding them are often under strain, too. Aligning with one another through proactive communication can go a long way in preventing unnecessary stress or conflict that can easily take place when multiple offices are in crisis mode.
Together, assess the situation by asking, “Are there circumstances that could modify or nullify the chaotic situation?” The answer to this question can help develop a decision tree for how to proceed. If the circumstances cannot be changed and the negative impact is inevitable, it is important to accept the reality of the situation and not waste energy in hand-wringing or railing against misfortune. If the situation “is what it is,” teams can band together to move past trying to change the situation and instead collaborate on managing the impact.
Often, teams or offices try to deal with issues on their own. They may downplay the chaos if their team inadvertently caused it, or they may distance themselves from those they feel were at fault. While not every solution has to be a cross-office project, communication with others about the circumstances at hand can be a key part of assessing risk, minimizing damage, and reducing departmental silos. While chaos is never welcome, it can be a catalyst for greater unity, skill-building, and positive impact when teams and offices choose to engage it together rather than go it alone.
“I try to approach challenges with a solution-focused mindset, regularly asking myself what I can control and what is outside of my control,” said Emiyaril Alvarez, Director of Financial Aid at Millersville University, who recommends that leaders adopt a few good breathing techniques. “I have learned that calm is part of the job, especially in a crisis. With so much uncertainty facing higher education right now, particularly around financial aid access and affordability, it is easy for fear and frustration to take over. My responsibility has been to stay grounded, filter the noise, and lead with clarity so others do not feel the full weight of that uncertainty.”
Focus Forward: Communicating Across the University
In times of transition, restructuring, or strategic change, leaders play a key role in setting the tone for the entire institution’s community. Internal communication is a critical asset that can remind people of the values and identity of the institution, helping them find firm footing in a time that feels unsettling. By rooting the community in its core purpose, leaders can empower others to regain stability, embrace the present, and consider the possibility of a brighter future.
When an institution is undergoing challenging budget cuts or a leadership transition, leaders may find that encouraging everyone to fix their attention on the mission of serving students can raise morale and renew a sense of purpose.
“When I project calm,” Alvarez said, “it allows my team to move forward, reassures campus partners, and helps students and families trust that we are still here, still advocating, and still doing the work to make college possible.”
Prepare and Respond: Grounding Efforts in Processes
Chaotic times can sap morale and completely deflate institutional momentum. In the current environment, people are highly attuned to panic. It often doesn’t take much for both internal and external audiences to jump to conclusions, make assumptions, or start spreading incorrect information.
In these situations, it is critical to have a plan. Not that long ago, institutions took pride in their thorough strategic plans that set the course for years to come. In the current marketplace, change is so rapid, and at times dramatic, that shorter-term tactical plans have become critical. Institutions need to plan long-term, but they also need to have planning structures and processes that can address changes in a one or two-year timeframe.
Leaders, said Braden, need to take another approach. “We need urgency. We do not need hurry. We try to respond, not react.”
Having these processes in place not only helps leaders to focus on what is most important, but it helps them to reassure constituents that they’ve both recognized challenges and mobilized the resources and people necessary to navigate them.
At the team level and across departments, throughout the university or with external audiences, leaders are key to creating calm. As they maintain the presence of mind they need to bring about the best possible outcome, leaders can shine in a crisis.
Why? Because, as Braden puts it, “Because calm scales. And when calm scales, confidence and performance follow.”
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