Call me a Pollyanna but I don’t think things are as bad as they are saying. Who are they? Everyone trying to find out what’s really going on. I lived through 1973 and 1974. Unemployment was really high in those years, Vietnam was blazing, student protests were threatening to split the country, Watergate was center stage, we couldn’t get gas and Israel was at war and the USSR was trying to eek away at our dominance on the world scene. I was a staff member of a large church in a small town at the time. And times were rough. We didn’t always get paid and the stress was high. And we won a lot of people to Christ.

I don’t want you to get me wrong. I know ten million people have lost jobs. And some more bad stuff might be on the horizon. But I can’t help but feel things are going to get better faster than we think.

But in the mean time can we thrive in the rough times? Yes. The following are seven traits I am trying to perfect in my own leadership in this season and for the entities I lead as well. Here they are:

1. Excel through Loss.

How a person recovers from loss will determine their future success. Churches lose members, businesses lose customers but it’s their response to such trends that will build the future.

Remember God is in the giving back business. You just have to have faith and the character to get it back God’s way. Loss should challenge us to appreciate what we have, intend to serve more intentionally, and inspire us to climb another rung on the ladder to becoming who we are.

2. Team Up The Horses.

In rough times we need teams. We have to move from I-did-it to we-do-it thinking. A leader learns in tough times how to harness a team that may include novices, the untrained, and under experienced and mentor them into competency.

There’s nothing like tough times to cause us to look for new talent. We can usually afford to bring in new talents. We must in tough times train the talent we have.

3. Flexible Leadership.

When things are tight we have to discover how to do things in a new way. A friend of mine owns a restaurant. He says he has as many customers now but he has to learn to run a business not a restaurant. He has to watch the numbers more closely and be ready to make changes twice as fast to stay ahead of the competition. He says the tough times are a gift to him that will make his plans to expand much more successful when the economy hits a higher plane.

When you can’t hire staff to do the work, how will you get it done? First you may have to find alternate ways of funding your growth. And you may have to say I can’t do this right now. Or, you may say it will take four volunteers but we can still make the next step. Whatever the choice, it will require flexibility.

4. Outside Help.

I am a coach and consultant and because of that I am biased, but outside help can be indispensable. Moses got help from Jethro in shaping his strategy to lead Israel out of Egypt. Outside eyes can see things inside eyes miss. When times are challenging it is probably the most important time to get a coach. They can help you stay objective.

5. Keep Focus.

Your call doesn’t change if your in tough times. Don’t give up on your dream just because it’s tough. If you lose your focus you will loose ground you have made. Find all the resources you can and try and keep on track. Learn to edit from your work anything that doesn’t help keep the vision moving. It’s a perfect time to cut out distractions. But stay focused above all things. Don’t compromise who you are.

6. Learn Optimism.

Everyone in leadership should read two books. “Authentic Happiness,” and “Learned Optimism” both by Martin Seligman. Teach yourself to see the bright side of everything. This way you will see opportunities all around you. I am by nature a solutions-oriented guy. I have learned my tendency is the least helpful trait in tough times. You have to have opportunity eyes in tough times. Stay away from attorneys, go find a good artist and grow a dream.

7. Thrive in the Dark.

There is nothing more challenging than being called to go where you have never been. It’s tough having to lead and live with what you don’t know. Tough times cut the visual distance out of life. Knowing how to thrive with the darkness ahead is the advance level leadership needs to become the most successful. This is a time to trust God. It’s time to know that there is some bright sunlight out there if we just keep plodding on ahead. And there is nothing wrong with saying, “I don’t know, But I will.”