Intentional Leadership During the Pandemic

The COVID 19 pandemic crisis has become an inflection point for many companies. I’m seeing three areas of great pain for these companies’ CEOs.

• Communication flow with broadly dispersed teams
• Speed of decision making
• High potential talent retention

Each of these pain points has increased the time CEOs are spending deep in the organization. However, this shift has great potential now and beyond the crisis. To address these areas and to capitalize on the opportunity ahead, Intentional Leadership is required.

Winning in the Pandemic

The most successful CEOs have recognized the need for a stronger emotional connection to their organization’s purpose and people since the 2020 COVID crisis began. The time is now...

• To invest in talent building the “next normal” for your organization and be prepared to capitalize on the opportunities that have recently presented themselves.
• To quickly and efficiently align all of their people to changing business demands.
• To develop leaders who can manage uncertainty with decisiveness and lead teams through unpredictable times.

“Most senior executives are using this unparalleled momentum in history to shift & enhance relationships with their employees.” -2020 KMPG CEO Outlook Pulse Survey

The challenges of the past year have accelerated needs for companies and CEOs spending a great deal of time deep in the organization preparing their teams for the next level. However, the most successful business leaders see this shift as having great potential now and beyond the crisis.

This time is now to elevate the leadership capability and performance of your organization. The time is now to invest in and develop Intentional Leaders.

5 Ways Intentional Leadership is Working

In this past year, here are the 5 ways I have seen top CEOs practice intentional leadership and deliberately choose how they show up with their teams and organizations:

1. Creating a Culture of Care: This past year has turned the spotlight on culture. CEOs were quick to acknowledge the fears and doubts of their people and offer honest answers, open communication & flexibility in navigating the waters. CEOs have taken the time to engage with front line leaders to remain on the pulse of issues of those getting the work done and offer empathetic responses.
2. Development of High Potential Talent that is Diverse: CEOs have a bigger role to play in tackling global challenges facing society and DEI initiatives have become a priority as a result. CEOs are committing to cultivating diverse leaders of the future to sustain and grow business.
3. A Focus on Team Cohesion: Put dynamics ahead of mechanics. Remote work has amplified the lack of team cohesion and CEOs are admittedly mediating interpersonal conflicts daily. With many organization’s restructuring in 2020 and remote work here to stay, senior business leaders are focused on team cohesion.
4. Efficient Feedback Loops: CEOs are looking for more simplified ways to get feedback (no more long-drawn-out feedback processes). Information flow has been more challenging at a time when it needs to happen even more quickly and efficiently with a broadly dispersed team. CEOs are on at least 15 video meetings per week with broad teams. They are modeling behavior and are challenging their senior teams to increase their engagement with their people. They recognize that those leaders who understand what motivates employees individually are better at managing uncertainty with decisiveness and leading teams through unpredictable times. 
5. Establishing the Right Pace of Change: This year was in warp speed for many CEOs and while this resulted in accelerated growth initiatives for some, the pace of change placed tremendous stress on the individuals in their organizations. CEOs are committed to better managing expectations and initiatives going forward.

Act Now to Win During this Pandemic

If you are interested in learning more about intentional leadership and the simplified and effective approaches that have had the greatest positive impact, schedule a call today.

About the Author:

Tricia offers an elite, white-glove service for CEOs - working with you to address the above business situations, applying superior leadership methodologies and best-practices.

Tricia will act as a powerful thought partner to build strategic capabilities for your organization’s future.

Contact Tricia at www.triciamanning.com