Until I read an article in the New York Times about the unknown (at least for me) author Albert Camus's book, “The Plague”, I too felt occasional melancholy about how we, all of us, could emerge from this crisis, not unscathed but better. As leaders, we are accountable for more than our business. The well being of our employees, customers, suppliers, investors, and neighbors matter.

Camus emphasizes the importance of mutual objectives and a profound sense of “belonging in the face of uncertainty.”

Having read 17 books on Kindle since January, I had not expected such a powerful allegory to make me ponder my life and death deeply. Here we are globally sharing an experience that would leave significant impressions for generations to come.

I questioned my ambivalence about leading and being.

• Am I humble when no one else is watching?

• How am I performing during the crisis?

• Do I anticipate things to occur that I cannot control?

• Do I concern myself with the ramifications of my decisions?

Interspersed with morals leaving many of us conflicted between our segmented lives of work and home, The Plague reminds us how we mismanage crises, ourselves, and people and our “impossible” predicament currently faced.  Many leaders and managers amorously jaunt through life in a minor key.

Like many good books, not to mention great conversations, the reader explores fundamental questions such as; Am I doing the things that matter in the lives of people at work so they can be better at home? Earlier this year, I read Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, "Lincoln." One could feel Lincolns eroding confidence in keeping the nation together while manifesting freedom to the enslaved. Both provoked essential questions about leadership and being.

• What matters?

• Why are we here? Are my values reliable? What do we owe one another?

• What is heroism? What is decency?  

Camus describes how the citizens of Oran faced their pandemic thirsting for an ordinary life as they evaded the crucial questions until life quietly passed away. Just as it does in The Plague, our current state with COVID – 19, compels some of us to concentrate, especially when layoffs, deaths, evictions, and bankruptcies assume a seat at our table.  What is timely is how these fictional characters compared to our “bubonic plague,” aren’t different from us at all.

Which brings us to question how do we leave people after we have led them?

Image courtesy Robert Metz @___rob__

About Jim

Jim is President of Woods Kovalova Group headquartered in Denver, CO. With consultants and advisors located globally the sun never sets on their business. He has advised and trained Fortune 1000 companies, U.S. Military, Government, small business, and individuals seeking performance improvement. Jim is a former U.S. Navy Seabee and earned a master’s degree in organizational development and human resources. He has taught leadership and human resources at Villanova, Colorado Technical University, and Dickinson University. To have Jim work with your organization schedule an appointment here.