Five Keys to Dealing with Disruption from Former Prime Minister George Papandreou

Return to office (RTO) mandates are a little silly if you think about it. The next quarantine/hurricane/wildfire/(insert major disruptor here) is just around the corner, which means a flexible, remote-capable workforce is an absolute must for your organization’s long-term health.

Your leadership must be flexible and remote-capable, too.

Our podcast guests George Papandreou (former Prime Minister of Greece) and Jorrit Volkers (dean of 德勤 ’s renowned University for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, or DU EMEA) know well the need for such resilient leaders. For Papandreou in particular, nothing less than the survival of democracy sits at stake. Between them, we gleaned the following tips for mastering leadership in turbulent times.

1. Adapt to Change. Between climate change and emerging viruses, major disruptions loom inevitably in our future. For example, many epidemiologists warn COVID wasn’t the pandemic; it was a pandemic of more to come. That means your leadership needs more than resilience, but true adaptability. Each disruption redefines “normal,” so you must adapt to that new working environment instead of vainly trying to pull it back to your old comfort zone. Embrace flexibility and innovation. Communicate openly and authentically, too—disruptions will throw your team off balance enough; blindsiding them slows down, if not sabotages, recovery.
2. Learn to Lead Virtually. When analyzed objectively, the motivation for many leaders wanting RTO is simple: the leaders, far more than staff, had trouble learning how to run their teams remotely. Yet the principles for great leadership remain the same whether in person or remote. Distance leadership requires amplifying a few of those traits, though, including higher empathy for team members, clear communication, and building a more collaborative and inclusive culture.
3. Prepare Your Team to Overcome Challenges. Success favors the prepared team. The next disruption isn’t an if, but a when. Your organization will recover faster when you prepare it by embedding resilience into the culture, provide support, and empower your team to make decisions and overcome obstacles with grit instead of fear. In this way, they’ll more than survive: they’ll thrive.
4. Build Trust. Disruption, chaos, and surprises make it difficult for your staff to trust the world around them. They must trust you as their leader. Cultivate trust now through transparency, authenticity, and engagement with the team. Express your vision clearly and passionately; knowing your North Star helps your team focus their efforts even through the greatest upheaval.
5. Drive Results. This is about more than P&L; it’s about morale. When your team accomplishes goals, their pride and motivation increase—two forces powerful enough to overcome the anxiety of disruption because the team knows it’s making a difference. So set clear goals, provide the team with the resources it needs to accomplish them, and empower them to excel.

Change has accompanied human life since the first homo sapiens stepped forth. It’s the pace of change that’s different today; it now accelerates each day rather than each generation. That’s great news for you: every disruption hides an opportunity for your team. ?Through the five steps above, your leadership will uncover those opportunities.

Disruption can become another asset in your toolbox.

Resilience and anti-fragility are just two of the tools we teach in our leadership courses and coaching. We can deliver a keynote speech about them at your next event, too. Learn more: send us a note at [email protected].

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This article was adapted by Dan Mushalko from our podcast episode Former Prime Minister Papandreou's Path to a Just World.

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