Leading Through the Pandemic
We will never be the same! The various shutdowns and restrictions throughout the pandemic require a new set of transformational leadership skills to adapt to an ever-changing intersection of work and personal lives.
These unprecedented times have required a particular set of leadership attributes and sharp focus. Leaders are adjusting on-the-fly as new information comes out every day. One thing that is certain is that COVID-19 isn’t going away anytime soon, and we must all learn to work and live in a new, adaptive environment moving forward. Organizations that will continue to exist in the short term and thrive in the long term will have agile leaders, who practice the following ways of being, with respect to themselves and others:
- Being Empathetic and Caring
As the COVID pandemic continues, it has become increasingly clear that “we are all in this together.” Every conversation during the pandemic typically starts with asking, Are you okay? How’s your family? This has been a silver lining to remind us that our connection and concern for others should be first and foremost, a reminder of our humanity and what matters most. We are also discovering the importance of proactively connecting person-to-person—whether via email, text, or social media—and the detriments of isolation.
Leadership skills include:
- Be sensitive to team members’ wellbeing, appreciating their world and circumstances
- Have a sense of grace and consideration for others
- Take a stand that the health and safety of your customers, employees, vendors, etc. always comes first
- Create a protocol to protect your people and your business operations against the Corona virus or other health threats
- Being Flexible and Adaptive
As we learned over the last year, the way we were doing things didn’t always necessarily work, and even one day to the next, things could change. While this causes stress, it also requires us to be aware and conscious that there are multiple ways to get something done, embracing flexibility and adaptability in new ways of thinking and acting.
Leadership skills include:
- Attend to the logistics of workplace adaptations and working remotely, if applicable
- Appreciate how people’s personal/work situations now inter-mingle
- Have a willingness to reschedule meetings, deliverables and due dates, as needed
- Change direction with ease, creating new strategies to get the job done
- Being Open to New Learnings and Technologies
During the pandemic, “necessity is the mother of invention” with regards to learning new ways to get things done efficiently. Big winners are telemedicine, online retailers, video streaming, video conferencing, home delivery, and 24/7 news updates (CDC, etc.). Learning new things and using new technologies will only increase, impacting how we live and work in the future.
Leadership skills include:
- Use the latest apps to be the most effective and efficient in getting things done
- Embrace and implement technological advancements that help create a safe workplace
- Stay informed of breaking news developments—local, national and industry-wide
- Be responsive to new economics, marketing methods, financial projections, industry outlooks, etc.
- Being Collaborative and Interdependent
The pandemic has reminded us that “no person is an island.” Being in a collaborative, inclusive work mode, internally and externally, is always key to business success, whether or not a crisis is at play.
Leadership skills include:
- Learn to work virtually with individuals and/or teams, using video conferencing, webinars, cloud sharing apps, etc.
- Be less formal and more to the point when communicating on required results
- Problem-solve together in new, innovative ways given the evolving circumstances
- Appreciate our interdependence within industries and as global citizens
- Being Grounded in Purpose and Values
There’s nothing like the pandemic, or any type of crisis, to reinforce our values, as well as our core relationships. COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to re-calibrate our actions and re-evaluate our day-to-day lives—what we truly value. People have changed houses, moved near and far, and are spending more time with family and friends. Many of us have re-committed to health and fitness, prioritizing relaxation, mental health and spending more time outdoors. It has also been a chance to think about choices, both personal and work-related, asking, Is this what I want to be doing with my life? Is this the right job for me? Am I happy and fulfilled? Is this the person I want to be for myself and my family?
Leadership skills include:
- Operate with integrity and continually reinforce a unified front
- Stay personally and professionally grounded in your vison, values and what is most important
- Put people first—employees, customers, vendors—now, more than ever
- Continually align your strategy with the purpose of the organization
For coaching on Leading through the Pandemic, contact us.
