Today in Part 2 of our two-part series, Leadership & …. We tackle the subject of Leadership & Seismos Moments.

You can listen to the podcast here. The video version is here.

Matthew 8:23-27: “Then he (Jesus) got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

• In verse 24 Matthew describes this storm as – “A furious storm.” The Greek word here is “seismos” which is normally used to describe an earthquake. This was no garden-variety storm.
• The disciples reacted to this “seismos” moment with panic.
• Jesus’ response is awe-inspiring. He is Lord of the seismos moments in our leadership life.

Leadership tosses a variety of storms our way:

• A personal loss of health
• The loss of people who leave for no sound reason.
• The stinging criticism of some who stay.
• The infidelity of a teammate that is both personally heart-breaking and puts the organization you lead in a vulnerable spot.
• Anything that makes you feel like your leadership life is spinning out of control.
• Some storms are sudden and catch us off guard and unprepared.
• Some storms give us advance notice.
• Sometimes Jesus will calm the storm around you immediately—sometimes He will calm you even though the storm still rages.
• If Jesus is in the boat with you, no matter the type of storm, you’re going to be okay!

Seismos moments tips:

• Get on your knees and cry out to Jesus.
• Get on the phone and call your safest, most trusted friend.
• Reach out to a coach who can serve as a sounding board.
• Resist the temptation to jump out of the boat.