Instilling Hope In Times Of Crisis

What’s the No. 1 thing employees want from you as a leader? As Greg Brenneman—who led turnarounds of Continental Airlines, PwC Consulting and Burger King—put it at the first virtual Scaling Up event after Covid hit, “The job of a leader is to absorb fear and exude hope.” Just released research from Gallup bears him out.

That’s especially true in times of crisis and chaos. Ask Christine Assouad, CEO of Dunkin’ Donuts Lebanon. Assouad, a member of Young Presidents’ Organization, launched Dunkin Donuts in her country in 1998 and plans 50 stores by year’s end.

You think you’ve got it bad…

Consider what Assouad was up against: She scaled operations despite a popular revolution in 2019 followed by capital control and currency devaluation, a deadly ammonium nitrate explosion at Beirut’s port in 2020 that displaced more than 300,000 people and a 14-month war that ended in a ceasefire in November 2024. “We were in survival mode for a few years, seeing most international chains exit or close stores,” says Assouad.

However, that chaos gave the company an edge. As the late Brazilian racecar driving legend Ayrton Senna put it, “You cannot overtake 15 cars when it’s sunny, but you can when it’s raining.” After opening six stores in 2024, including a flagship with a podcast studio, gaming room and meeting room, Assouad just signed another 10, with plans to hire 25 percent more team members and her sights set on reaching 100.

In the meantime, she’ll be one of the Sharks on an upcoming season of Shark Tank Lebanon. She also runs Empowering Tribe, a group she founded in 2023 to support female leaders in the Middle East, and the Semsom concept, a Lebanese casual dining concept with restaurants in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah.

Leaders have a choice: to be winners or whiners. Here’s how she keeps her eyes trained on winning

Stay focused on purpose

Assouad turned her stores into destinations where employees come in early to write positive “notes of happiness” on each coffee cup. “The main point is to constantly remind our team of our purpose, the fact that we’re here ‘to spread happiness,’” she says. “I call it the ‘smiling business.’”

Show you’ve got it covered

Hopefulness will only inspire a team if it’s grounded in reality, especially in wartime. “The first day of the crisis, we listed all the possible scenarios and had an action plan for each,” Assouad says. “Being prepared made the whole difference.”

Stay ready for good times

Assouad also kept her team excited about what was coming after the crisis. During slow periods, Assouad arranged for large-scale trainings in how to use AI and had her team build out an ERP system. “We used dead time to do things we didn’t usually have time to do,” she says. One added bonus: With many employees seeking educational opportunities, it gave them a reason to stay.

Make time for fun

Assouad makes play a priority. Recently, she brought her team together in Beirut to have fun designing their own Dunkin’ concept stores. Everyone forgot about job titles and let their imaginations run wild. “At the end of the day, business is not just about serving customers,” she reflected in a LinkedIn post. “It’s about connecting humans. When your team feels safe, seen and inspired, magic happens.”

That doesn’t mean ignoring the trauma team members experienced during the war. To support mental health, she arranged weekly team meetings, group therapy sessions and retreats for different layers of managers.

Ultimately, we have a choice as CEOs—to suck it up in challenging circumstances or to give in to whining. As Assouad continues to prove, winners know that growth is always possible, even during a war.