Angela Devlen of AMD Enterprise Management On Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Uncertain & Turbulent Times
Act — Begin. Even if you don’t have all the information yet. Even if you don’t know the impact yet. Begin early and move fast. Be ready to pivot. Constantly review your strategy, make changes in real time as needed, communicate those changes, and scale your response accordingly. Fast, purposeful action creates better outcomes.
As part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Angela Devlen.
Angela Devlen, Entrepreneur and Author of Grit + Grace on Five Things You Need to Be a Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times
Angela is a multi-passionate entrepreneur and the author of Grit + Grace | a journey towards resilience. Her 30-year career has taken her around the globe where she has established social enterprises in developing countries promoting sustainable development, disaster risk reduction, and women’s health. She served as CEO for 15 years at Wakefield Brunswick, a consulting firm she founded that advises healthcare organizations on risk and resiliency. Today, she advises entrepreneurs and executives on creating optimized and resilient organizations.
From her work alongside grassroots community groups who faced insurmountable odds after disasters to advising leaders of the most extraordinary healthcare organizations in the world, Angela offers a cross-section of experiences that informs her unique perspective on global risk, healthcare, leadership, and resilience.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
My start was in EMS on the local ambulance while I was still in high school. Later, in college, I added a second job in home care. I also served as a volunteer with the Red Cross Disaster Action Team. Since then, my 30+ year career has been anchored in healthcare and disaster management.
At 19, I hitchhiked from my hometown in Eastern Canada to NYC arriving with $17.00 in my pocket. I worked two and three jobs to get on my feet and worked my way up. Eventually, I moved to Boston where I worked for the hospitals there and in 2007 launched a non-profit that responded to disasters and invested in women’s health programs in developing countries. Together with my daughter, we worked with pandas in China and traveled to remote parts of Nepal and India. In 2009 I launched Wakefield Brunswick and continued my work in disasters. After 15 years I stepped down as CEO, and today I am focusing on my writing my second book, speaking, and hosting retreats.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Yes. Though I find it funny now and I have compassion for my younger self, it was so embarrassing at the time. I had a such a sense of righteousness and need to prove myself.
At the time, I was in my mid-twenties leading a new department in a prestigious organization made up of leaders and caregivers at world-class academic medical centers. My own education paled in comparison and the learning curve was steep for me. And here I was, recently appointed to an executive taskforce put together after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 to address how to become a more prepared health system.
I was asked to present my recommendations. It would have been a win had I left my presentation at that. But instead, I went on to chastise the organization for not providing an adequate budget in the past and drew on my passionate righteousness to make my case. It wasn’t until I started to see the executives who were responsible for these decisions begin to bristle and purse their lips at me that I realized what I had done.
I aim to remind myself any time I am making my case now, rather than casting blame or pointing out all the things that are wrong, to instead enroll people in the possibility I am proposing.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I don’t know that I appreciated it enough at the time, but early in my career I had a great mentor, Ed Deveau. When I moved to Boston in the late 90’s, I was told he was the person to know in my profession. He opened so many doors for me. Through him, I met Ed Swartz and under his leadership I gained tremendous professional experience while creating and leading a business continuity program at Partners Healthcare. Other great leaders in healthcare such as Jim Conway and Chris O’Connor also served as models for me.
Having said that, it was years before I understood the lessons and began to apply them. One of the things I say now is, “if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter.” I have been through many crisis events, several of them throughout the years while working with these leaders I admire, and their wisdom endures today.
When leading during turbulent times and particularly in my case during disasters, solutions that work, leadership that is authentic, and messaging that is clear was something I saw modeled again and again by each of the executives I learned from.
Extensive research suggests that “purpose-driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your organization started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?
Living our purpose takes knowing ourselves. It takes risk. It takes work: a commitment to a way of being and making the necessary choices that allow us to have and do what we are here to offer. In my own work, purpose is the 5th of the 5 pillars of resiliency. In both our life and our work, I believe it matters. I believe our best work comes from clarity about who we are and why we do what we do. It clarifies who we serve and how we do it.
The purpose of Wakefield Brunswick has always been clear: To advance resiliency in healthcare. When your purpose is clear, it serves as a litmus test any time a challenge or opportunity arises. It allows us to ask, “Does this solution or action align with our purpose and the outcome we are seeking?”
I believe this focus on purpose is the key factor in driving an organization’s success. It enables them to live their values, attract both clients and team members who are inspired by their mission, and guides the organization’s compass, shaping the decisions that leaders make each day.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?
Many of my colleagues have stories of the uncertainty that occurred during COVID. At the time I was still CEO of Wakefield Brunswick, and we were entering a growth phase prior to COVID. In fact, I had just begun hiring to support the growth strategy when COVID hit.
To navigate COVID and support the growth strategy, it was going to take an investment of all I had to make it work. I don’t know that we talk candidly enough about what it really takes to scale a small business or what it means to truly manage cashflow particularly during periods of growth and uncertainty. Small, privately owned companies are often limited when it comes to access to capital. It was especially true for me as a single mother and sole owner of the business.
While as a healthcare consulting firm that specialized in planning for and responding to disasters we were in high demand, our clients were also freezing contracts and funding to focus resources on their response. Nonetheless, we elected to add more resources to our COVID taskforce and supported our clients and other healthcare organizations at no cost for several months.
When my resources ran out, I financed everything I could. When someone on my finance team began to stress the consequences of the risks that I was taking, including the possibility we would not recover financially, we remained steadfast in our commitment to what we were doing. ‘I have lost everything before so I know I can come back from that.’ I told her. ‘I have spent my career preparing hospitals for the possibility of a pandemic so even if I lose the company over this, I will be able to look back and believe I did the right thing.’ I had the support of my team, and this fueled my confidence. I also want to acknowledge we took what may be an unreasonable risk and do not suggest this is the best approach for every leader. Yet, this work is why I am here, so the decision was clear for me.
Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?
Resilience isn’t simply our ability to be strong and endure difficult times. It is also our ability to overcome and thrive in the aftermath of those challenges. When we do that, our capacity when faced with uncertainly and our faith in ourselves grows. I had the benefit of many of those experiences in both my life and my work, allowing that capacity to grow organically over time. During my hardest moments, my responsibility as a mother served as my north star.
Still, if we are honest, I suspect everyone has moments where they consider giving up. Today, I have reframed the idea of failure or giving up completely. It isn’t about success or failure in my mind. In my view that is subjective based on who is defining it. For me, I only have control over my own choices and reactions. In this case, I choose when I am complete with something. I decide when I am done, even if the decision is a hard one. My experience has taught me this can happen in cases characterized as both successful and unsuccessful in the eyes of others. It has also taught me that opposing emotions can co-exist. For example, stepping down as CEO was hard. It was also a moment of deep pride. I am confident in my decision and the leadership of our new CEO, Chris Sonne and his team.
I’m an author and I believe that books have the power to change lives. Do you have a book in your life that impacted you and inspired you to be an effective leader? Can you share a story?
I love to read. I usually have multiple books laying around at all times. I have read many of the popular leadership books out there that others commonly cite and most of them have impacted me in a positive way. However, more recently I have been reading books to inform my own research and writing on resiliency. The one that stands out is, A Year to Live, by Stephen Levine.
In his book he shares the story of what his son learned from working with those diagnosed with AIDS in the era when it was a death sentence. His experience resonated with me. During that same era, at eighteen, I was working on the ambulance and holding down a second job as a nursing aide caring for patients dying of AIDS at home, and it made a permanent imprint on me as a young person about how fragile life is.
Noah, Stephen’s son, was also a young professional, and working with patients with AIDS shaped his perspective on life and death. As his patients waited for their lab results, he encouraged them to reflect on their priorities, goals, and desires. He went on to share, “Once you see what the heart really needs, it doesn’t matter if you’re going to live or die, the work is always the same.”
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?
Accountability. In the end, everything rests with the CEO. The risk, the responsibilities, the culture, and the finances. This is true every day, and it is especially true during challenging times. To navigate challenges, clarity about the end in mind and being accountable for both that outcome and the decisions/actions to carry it out are key.
I learned this early from my father, who was an officer in the fire department. Many years ago, during a response to a flooding event, one of the firefighters from his station began directing the efforts. Shortly thereafter, a higher-ranking officer arrived and ordered a different course of action. The firefighters followed those orders, but unfortunately, the outcome was not as hoped. Although no lives were lost, one fire truck was irreparably damaged.
When the Chief asked my father who was responsible for the missteps, he told the Chief that he was. Even when the Chief pressed him, knowing it wasn’t true, my father stood his ground. He said, ‘It was my men; I am responsible.’ When he retired, my father was known as the last of the ‘gentlemen’s gentlemen.’
A lot of things are likely to go wrong during challenging times. But when we honor our principles and are accountable for the things we agree to take the responsibility for, people never forget it.
When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?
Authenticity, mindset, and impact are critical in boosting morale. When we shift our perspective to focus on the impact and outcomes we are committed to, we redirect the spotlight away from our fears or insecurities and instead highlight the difference we aim to have. This shift allows us to lead and serve with greater authenticity.
We need to continually ask ourselves, ‘What impact do we aim to have?’ In my experience, the answer serves as a guidepost for every decision, helping us assess whether our choices and actions will lead to the desired outcome. People want to know how their work matters and how it contributes to achieving a shared goal.
What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?
It is more important than ever to communicate when there is difficult news to share or during a crisis, particularly in a situation where you aim to be the source of record. Some considerations include:
- Pre-write the memo: gain clarity on your messaging and create pre-written templates for various scenarios when communicating to your colleagues, team, clients, and community.
- Use a framework: I organize thoughts into 3’s and repurpose other messaging a) where we are [current state] b) where we are going [future state] c) how we get there [actions to take]
- Communicate the schedule: For example, “We will be providing updates [name, location, and frequency] and here is how you can submit inquiries.
How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?
My life and work have taught me to operate with the understanding that the future is usually unpredictable. This can be especially challenging for someone like me — a bit of a control enthusiast, one might say! So, by design, I plan. By doing so, I ensure that the necessary variables are in place to support decision-making and to accelerate the ability to adapt when needed. At a high level, this is my 3-step approach:
- Analyze: Assess Current State + Gather Data [Where are we now?]
- Document: Write + Design A Plan [Where we are going and how we are going to get there?]
- Measure: Design Tools + Report on Outcomes [How will we know if we are succeeding?]
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
Cultivating and maintaining self-awareness as a leader, in my view, is number one. Why? The leaders I admire most are incredibly self-aware. They know and consider their own mindset, actions (and reactions), and patterns. They take responsibility for these and their impact on others. They have compassion for themselves, particularly when under great pressure or after making a misstep, which enables them to lead others with compassion. As a result, this allows people to take meaningful action and pivot quickly when needed, both of which are necessary during turbulent times.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
Mistake #1 They Take Too Long to Take Action
When leaders are clear on their purpose and long-term vision, they are flexible on the strategies to get there. They tend to have a bias for quick decision-making and allow for the freedom of taking imperfect action. This allows them and their team to be nimble and pivot quickly, as needed.
Mistake #2 They Struggle with Managing Their Time
I believe the most effective leaders address this by prioritizing the optimization of workflows. Instead of constantly chasing shiny new objects, they focus on investing time and resources into building systems and processes FIRST to minimize bottlenecks in their business.
Mistake #3 They Are Too Focused on Themselves
Though I believe the best leaders are accountable, especially when things go awry, our focus should primarily be on those we serve and the team supporting that work. This approach helps direct our attention toward the intended outcome rather than ourselves.
Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times? Please share a story or an example for each.
- Be Visible — The last CEO I worked for rounded on staff at the hospital often. He believed he couldn’t solve problems if he didn’t have some understanding of them. Once he demonstrated it was not punitive in nature and that he acted on what he learned, staff shared their opinions and experiences more readily. Face time with staff and clients provide a deeper perspective on customer and employee satisfaction. When it comes to truly understanding the challenges and opportunities presenting themselves, what you witness first-hand and the stories that are shared offer context that otherwise is lost when relying on data alone.
- Anticipate — Gather data in the most efficient and meaningful way you can. Streamline it. Create your plans and modify as needed. This allows you to innovate and align actions to the best possible outcomes based on what you know and what you are anticipating might happen. And as you know more, you can adjust.
- Communicate — Gain clarity on your messaging and create pre-written templates for various scenarios when communicating to your audience, keeping in mind current state, future state, and actions to take to get there. Be clear on where people can find the information and the cadence of when updates will be provided.
- Delegate — This becomes particularly challenging during uncertain and turbulent times when the stakes are high. From my emergency training, I learned the concept of ‘span of control.’ To be effective, it is best to have no more than three to five people reporting directly to you in a disaster. Adrenaline runs high, and people often don’t realize how much it depletes them. Establishing this span of control and delegating accordingly allows for a more reasonable distribution of work, reduces bottlenecks, and streamlines communication.
- Act — Begin. Even if you don’t have all the information yet. Even if you don’t know the impact yet. Begin early and move fast. Be ready to pivot. Constantly review your strategy, make changes in real time as needed, communicate those changes, and scale your response accordingly. Fast, purposeful action creates better outcomes.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I started Wakefield Brunswick in part because people believed in me. One of those people was an executive at the health system that would become my first client. She remained a client for many years until she retired, and we worked with her to fully transition the work we did together to a new leader. She introduced me to this quote. It means more to me now than ever because I have experienced the truth in it, time and time again.
“When we work for the common good, we experience each other in new ways. We don’t worry about differences, or status, or traditional power relationships. We worry about whether we’ll succeed in accomplishing what needs to be done. We focus on the work, not on each other. We learn what trust is. We learn the necessity of good communication. These are always the conditions that bring out our best — we’re focused on something we care about.”
Meg Wheatley — Turning To One Another
How can our readers further follow your work?
My website is www.angeladevlen.com and I am at @angeladevlen on all social platforms. I am also on Linked In and would love to connect there. My book Grit + Grace can be found on Amazon.
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
Angela Devlen of AMD Enterprise Management On Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.