Kate Mollett | Regional Manager | Veeam | mail me |
Leadership in times of crises is crucial because both citizens and employees look to their leaders for assurance, vision and direction. What makes leadership all the more critical is that when rapid change disrupts most aspects of an organisation, even its leaders are learning in real time.
Leaders of countries and organisations have had to make unprecedented decisions fast, based on the best evidence in front of them. There’s been very little time for hesitation.
2020 has certainly made society, and its leaders in particular, reflect, adjust and reset. Sometimes amidst rapid technological advancements, and in an increasingly digital world, reverting to the fundamentals of human connection is the most powerful leadership tactic.
Altered social and business norms
The true impact of the crisis will not be determined for some time yet, but certain aspects of our lives will never be the same again.
When people talk about ‘the new normal’, they often refer to social distancing and large-scale uptake of cloud technologies. 2020 taught us that nothing is 100% certain, but large-scale cloud investment and altered social norms is about as certain as it gets.
However, against this backdrop, we need to ask where the opportunities are for leaders to make a lasting impact on the people in their organisations, and by extension boost the prospects of the businesses they lead. What would effective leadership in this ‘new normal’ look like?
From personal experience and listening to fellow leaders of organisations across a myriad of industries, there are five pertinent themes that arise.
Prioritising human interaction
The overarching goal of any business is to add value or solve a problem for its customers. We set targets and chase them. It is easy to get caught up in this task and forget about the most important resource in any organisation: its people.
The lockdown brought a magnifying glass to the importance of connections. Staff, many of whom were afraid and worried about their jobs, were consigned to their homes.
One of the best moves we did during the lockdown was to set up a daily catch-up for 30 minutes every morning. Every business would do well to consider something similar.
It is not a business call, and if the cameras are off, so be it. It is just a chat to find out how the our team is doing, what’s going on in their lives and to share some real-life stories. It is like a tonic.
Setting clear messaging and stick to it
Most people reading this would have had one or more of these thoughts: Will the business survive? Will I keep my job or will my salary be reduced? What happens if I become sick? Will there be a second wave and a new lockdown? If there is, what does this mean for my team and meeting our objectives?
People hang onto the words of their leaders. You have to be an anchor, no matter how rough the seas become. Leaders do this by being honest, concise and factual. The best way to achieve this is by being authentic and not speaking off a script.
Connecting staff to mentors in the organisation
We have a Women In Green Programme that pairs young women with leaders – and they undergo mentoring.
The growth this type of programme can trigger is phenomenal, not least because with a clear path, support and a clear vision mapped out, young, talented staff can produce the most amazing work.
Remembering to have some fun
Along the theme of keeping things human, allow your team to have a little fun. Team building is invaluable. The key here is not to force anything onto your staff – because then it is not fun, but compulsory. A chore.
As an example, we created a lockdown recipe book where people from all over the world shared their favourite recipes. It led to great conversations and a sense of pride for the people taking part.
Other examples are coffee roulette, where people are randomly connected for an online chat over a cup of coffee with colleagues all over the world, online yoga, digital book club and much more. Remember, keep it as an opt-in activity and in our experience, most people opt in.
Putting employees front and centre
Any successful organisation will know that objectives and targets are only reached when the team rallies behind them and believes in the brand.
Putting employees front and centre really is a combination of the previous four points. This supports a human-centered, growth mindset because ultimately, we still run businesses and need to achieve targets. How sustainably these targets are achieved will be measured by the wellbeing of your team.
2020 has been a busy year. Some might say busier than ever. This isn’t just a phase, this is the new normal where employees are literally living in their offices.
Be sensitive to this and encourage your team to try find their way back to a normal working day and setting boundaries. They must take care of themselves if they are to take care of the businesses that employ them.
We are headed into an uncertain future with the possibility of further lockdowns and speculation on how the economy will recover. But the one thing we can control is how we communicate – rather too much than too little.
When the chips are down, the ugly truth is more valuable than silence. Remember to celebrate even the smallest wins and give credit where credit is due. Remember that your employees have lives and families.
A revival of humanity and appreciating the small things may well be a positive legacy of the pandemic.