How to lead teams through war

This is the coolest story I have heard in a while. How to make your employees care about software when a literal war tears their lives apart.

9 min readFeb 5, 2023

Getting a startup off the ground is hard enough.

But can you imagine trying to build a startup while a war destroys the lives of you and your team? How can you keep a team motivated and functioning, even as the world around them (quite literally) falls apart? How can you keep a team functioning and active, while the systems around them collapse?

In today’s email/post, I will cover a story that will blow your mind. We will be covering the leadership experiences of Christophe El-Khoury, a software lead, and mentor to hundreds of Lebanese developers. Chris was a tech lead in Lebanon and was part of a team attempting to build a startup called Rawa TV(think Arabian Twitch). During his time there, Lebanon was collapsing due to its liquidity crisis. Here is a snapshot of some of the challenges they were facing-

We were mitigating a hyperinflation of our local economy at the same time; so keeping developers motivated, all-the-while constantly adjusting their salaries, catering for missed deadlines due to unprecedented situations was not a walk in the park.
Soon after the Beirut Port Explosion happened, and that made things even worse.
-Chris should be a business case study for MBAs.

Chris and his team were able to navigate this crisis successfully (Rawa has now been bought by Medal TV, which got 7M users in December). Today, we will be covering some of the standout lessons that I learned from Chris throughout our conversations.

Key Highlights

Communicate as People- I have done a lot of posts on better communication. Most of it is focused on making your communication protocols more efficient and functional. Chris displayed another kind of communication, one focused on his team as people. During turbulent times, small acts of empathy can help people feel like they belong.
Bring the whole team in- Chris made sure to share details about the runway etc to help the whole team be more responsible with their finances. This adds to the sense of unity and community because this makes everyone feel like a stakeholder. This also adds to the transparency of the organization, which can create a better working culture.
Use the ‘we frame’- Chris uses the word a lot, to describe the accomplishments that his team accomplished. I believe that this was a large contributor to the unity that we mentioned earlier.
Strive to show Appreciation- When it comes to giving genuine compliments, you should strive to go above and beyond. He could have agreed with my assessment of his team (‘amazing’). However, he chose to beyond that, by building upon my praise. This is a habit that you should build. Instead of describing something as ‘great’, give a longer description of what you love ‘I really love the smoothness and low sugar in this chocolate milk’ or put more effort into your compliment ‘Your chocolate milk is so good, I would punch my grandma for more’. This shows effort on your part and is generally appreciated by the person you’re complimenting.
In times of crisis, be the north star- When times are uncertain, people crave certainty and security. As a leader, your role is to ultimately set the vision and lead the team in the right direction. This is especially important during tough times b/c if you didn’t do so, your team’s energy will scatter in different directions. People have bigger priorities than your group’s vision. When you provide clarity and direction, your team can dedicate their precious energy to figuring out how to get there.

Chris has an amazing story, one that you don’t want to miss. I am honored to share it with you. There is a lot to learn from his experiences.

Now let’s get groovy. 👇👇💃🕺🎶

Communicate as People

A lot of the writing in this newsletter has focused on communication on a more functional level. It focuses on how you can make your communication procedures more efficient, how you can use tools like documentation to boost asynchronous communication etc. This is aimed at helping you/your org streamline communication so that you can hit higher levels of productivity. However, in times of crisis, productivity should not be the main focus.

When your teams are under chronic stress/tension ( esp if induced through external and unchangeable circumstances, like the Lebanese crisis), then you need to soothe the human behind the professional. There is a lot of value in connecting with your team/colleagues on an emotional level. You need to spend time comforting your colleagues, soothing their fears, and letting them know that you appreciate them. Your team members are coming through with external tension, and if you push for productivity without first helping them deal with this tension, they will break.

Constant motivation and communication. When things get tough, teams usually need to feel appreciated, felt, and supported.

- Chris detailing some of the team’s biggest challenges

But how can you foster an environment where people feel these things? How can you help people feel safe (this is the key), when the world around is crumbling? Take a look at the following quote by Chris-

It’s challenging because it drains your own energy, but when you constantly showcase your own vulnerabilities to your team mates, showcase transparency, provide them with what is needed for them to open up and be honest, that’s when they go full force

Showing your vulnerabilities and transparency are once again taking a step back from the professional boss-subordinate dynamic and connecting on a more human level. When times are tough, spending some time massaging away your colleagues’ fears and helping them feel cared for is a great way to help them feel more motivated and committed.

This was far from the only thing that Chris did well. There is another important action worth noting.

Build a Community

One of the interesting things that stood out to me as I spoke with Chris was how he built a community of sorts in Rawa. This no doubt helped with helping his team feel safer and more at ease. But how did he build a community? There were 3 big techniques that you can copy.

Transparency

I asked Chris how his Rawa managed to survive these terrible times, financially. Turns out that they had a fair bit of runway (cash for the future), which allowed them to operate. However, this raised another question- How do you get your team to be financially responsible? Countless startups have ended up burning through cash and shutting down. The situation in Lebanon meant that raising additional funding would have been extremely difficult. His answer was simple- He told his team about everything so that they could all be responsible.

This might not seem like a big deal but think back to your work situation. Do you know what the operating expenses are, why each payment is made, etc? Most organizations are deliberately opaque and filled with middle management. This adds a layer of separation b/w a person and their company. If you goal is to have a more motivated and driven team, sharing with them will be important.

We frame

Another way to foster a sense of community is to use a ‘we frame’ (We did this, We are focusing on this, etc). This is great for social cohesion and helps the team feel more included and motivated.

Constantly delivering, constantly innovating, constantly mitigating one issue after the other simply because we refused to give in. There’s not a “thing” I’m proud of, the collective

- When I asked him what he’s most proud of. Notice the use of we for a question directed at the individual

Of course, when you mean I, don’t force we in there. You still want to keep your communication genuine. The purpose of this technique is to bring the collective in more often, not to just superficially change words. Onto the third technique.

Show Appreciation beyond the normal

Showing a deeper appreciation for your people is a great way to get them to be more into the team and into leading them. As Chris told me about how his team handled some of his challenges, we had the following interaction-

Chris could have simply accepted amazing and moved on with the main story. Instead, he built upon my praise, with a nonstandard but deep compliment (how many of your managers have called you magnificent beasts?). Aside from helping you with the team, it will also help you become more observant and just generally make you a happier person (as much as some self-help gurus that speak of manifesting make me cringe, your language does have a very strong impact on your mind and thoughts).

All of this can help you maintain a team spirit and sense of community while times are tough. However, as a leader, there is another important step you need to take. This will keep your team moving and focused, instead of scattering away.

Be the north star

When times are tough, people have a lot on their minds. It is arrogant (and almost cruel) to expect them to think of your company/org and its direction. They have too much on their plate already. As a leader, it’s your job to step up and take responsibility. It is on you to take charge, decide the direction that your team is headed, and provide them with the clarity of vision needed.

This can be a huge burden, but that is your responsibility as a leader. Set the agenda, make your priorities very clear, and make sure the team knows them. Then you let your team take you there. Trust their expertise and listen to their input. But you have to step up and take the agenda in the end.

This segment of our conversation reminded me of the scene in Fate:Zero (great show btw) where the characters meet and discuss their ideas of what makes a king.

When times are better, you can certainly become more egalitarian and loosen the reins a little bit. But, in times of emergency, firmness, and direction is important. Have faith in yourself/your decisions and then commit to them. Believe that your insight and your team’s expertise will carry you through. Spend your time reading/learning and speaking with your team to understand their needs best. So that when it’s time for action, you don’t hesitate.

I’m going to end this write-up here. To those of you that want to talk to Chris, you can find him as Christophe El-Khoury on LinkedIn. And if you think someone could benefit from learning about Chris’s story, share this post/email with them. Finally, if you like my writing, I would really appreciate an anonymous testimonial. You can drop it here.

As always, if you’re interested in reaching out to me or checking out my other work, links will be at the end of this email/post. For those of you interested in taking your skills and results to the next level, keep reading. I have something that you will love.

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