Leadership lessons

Those of you who know me would know that leadership is a topic I am particularly passionate about – my PhD research focused on the topic of leadership and employee attitudes in Australian organisations; and since completing my PhD in 2007, I have partnered with numerous organisations in both the public and private sector to design and deliver evidence-based leadership development programs, as well as had the opportunity to provide leadership coaching services to a wide range of individuals, including C-Suite leaders, Executives, first time managers, and high potential future leaders. Given my experience and expertise in this space, I have found myself thinking a lot about the leadership lessons that have emerged through our experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic, and wanted to share some thoughts on the topic…

Leadership is always important – and in times uncertainty, change & crisis, it is even more important. Leaders and managers have a direct influence on employee engagement and productivity; and during times of disruption, they have a significant influence on employee resilience and change readiness. In fact, recent research suggests that employees who have manager support are twice as likely to have the ingredients for resilience, and three times more likely to be engaged at work (Qualtrics, 2020).

During the current COVID-19 crisis, data shows that employees are looking to their own employers and managers to lead even more than they are looking to governments (Qualtrics, 2020). And the majority of employers and managers have really stepped up – with 84% of employee feeling a moderate to a great deal of pride in their organisations response to the pandemic; and 67% of employees favourably rating their manager’s support in helping them adapt to organisational changes (Qualtrics, 2020). What can we learn from these positive results in very challenging circumstances? How has the crisis has helped create better leaders & people managers?

“When a business selects its leaders, a ‘proven ability to lead an organization during a global pandemic’ is not a traditional prerequisite” (Quintin Dol, Leadership in Uncertain Times: Advice From the Seattle Tech Scene, 2020)

When I reflect on these questions, there are 3 key themes that emerge – these 3 key themes and the leadership lessons learned are described in more detail in the sections below; it is also worth noting that there are many linkages between these 3 key themes and the key principles that underpin well established & evidence-based leadership theories & models (such as transformational & inclusive leadership, and social & emotional intelligence).

Back to basics: Communication (top down / bottom up and outside in)

The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly highlighted the importance of fundamentals such as communication, in all directions – top-down, bottom-up and outside in.

“The first thing we are seeing across the board is the need to communicate. It helps resolve anxiety in a big way. Just when you feel like you’re overcommunicating … you probably need to dial it up 20% more” (Ryan Smith, Co-Founder & CEO, Qualtrics, 2020)

The first imperative in any crisis or disruption is to keep employees informed. To feel supported through change employees need to feel informed, that they have the information they need to do their job and that there is effective communication from senior leadership and between teams. Communication is key because it helps to reduce uncertainty and anxiety. When done well, it also helps build confidence in the senior leadership team to make the right decisions to guide the organisation through the crisis; a key driver of employee engagement in the context of disruption (Qualtrics, 2020).

“For leaders, I advise increasing communication to a daily cadence. We are leveraging various channels to keep interest, ensuring the team sees me and knows I am invested in piloting the company through these uncertain times” (Ted Hawksford, CEO, LiquidPlanner, 2020)

Two-way communication is also critical during times of uncertainty and change. In addition to top-down communication, leaders and managers need to establish effective channels to listen to, and seek feedback from, employees. Listening to employees to understand how they feel about today’s uncertain environments and identify what can be done to make them feel confident and comfortable is proving to be critical at every stage of the pandemic - from the introduction of lockdown measures and sudden shift to remote & flexible working, through to the reopening of businesses today.

“We now have a weekly meeting where all employees can discuss what challenges they are facing related to COVID-19 and how they’re dealing with them. Through these conversations we have a solid understanding of the issues that are bubbling up - health concerns, challenges of working from home, childcare issues, general anxieties and more - and can respond to them as they change” (Jeffrey Spector, Co-Founder, Karat, 2020)

“This is the time in which you need to rely on the people in your organization and in your network, because they will provide you with ideas on how to address the challenges” (Julie Larson-Green, Chief Experience Officer, Qualtrics, 2020)

Last but certainly not least, our experiences navigating through the pandemic have also highlighted that outside-in communication with your broader network and ecosystem can provide leaders with invaluable insights and innovative ideas during unprecedented times (as illustrated in the quote below).

“There is no playbook for what’s going on right now. Staying in regular communication with other tech leaders will help us all get through these times and keep our sanity. The other day I participated in a call with senior HR leaders from a number of leading tech companies about their response to COVID-19 and came away with several great ideas that we’ve since implemented” (Jeffrey Spector, Co-Founder, Karat, 2020)

Engaging with empathy

Empathy and the ability to connect has never been more important. Research shows that 67% of people report higher stress levels since the outbreak of COVID-19; and the #1 driver of employee engagement in the current context is the extent to which senior leadership considers employee wellbeing when making key decisions (Qualtrics, 2020).

We also know that if employees do not feel physically & psychologically safe, they will not be able to perform and be as productive as possible - this well-established leadership principle is highlighted in frameworks such as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow) and inclusive leadership models (e.g. https://focus.kornferry.com/leadership-and-talent/the-biography-of-inclusive-leaders/).

In light of this, it is not surprising that thought leaders such as Brene Brown agree that the key to navigating this crisis is to embrace empathy, care, connection and mutual respect.

“From the onset of the pandemic, Zillow employees expressed an unprecedented level of fear: fear of the unknown; fear of how COVID-19 would impact the business and their jobs; fear of how the pandemic would impact their daily routines; fear about their ability to be a caregiver. As a leadership team, we needed to address these fears first. Everything else could wait.” (Dan Spaulding, Chief People Officer, Zillow Group, 2020)

Recent research suggests that people who remain on-site, with co-workers and the public, have the lowest resilience across the workforce globally (Qualtrics). It’s important that leaders and managers recognise that many on-site or frontline employees continue to put their health - and the health of their family - at risk in order for them to deliver the tasks required from them on a daily basis; and act to put new safety protocols in place to reduce risk (check out the following blogs where workplace safety experts share their tips for implementing new safety protocols in a post-COVID world: https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/office-safety/ & https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/protect-on-site-employees/).

Moreover, it is important that leaders & managers are mindful that many remote employees are not working-from-home under normal circumstances; they may be experiencing various challenges and obstacles, ranging from balancing caring responsibilities and home-schooling, through to grappling with less than ideal technology & resources, and having difficulty switching off and maintaining a normal work-life balance. In fact, recent research suggests that those in individual contributor and trainee roles in particular rate their resilience indicators lower than the global average; therefore these more vulnerable segments of the remote workforce should be a key focus. Connecting people to the overall purpose of what they’re doing, and showing empathy & appreciation, will go a long way to support them through such a difficult time (also check out the following blog for more specific hints & tips about how managers can help mitigate some of the negative effects & mental health risks associated with COVID-19 and support employee wellbeing: https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/confronting-mental-health/).

“Organisations and leaders need to stop seeing results-driven performance, accomplishment and achievement, and empathy, care and connection, as mutually exclusive items and focus instead on uniting the two for corporate success” (Brene Brown, What it takes to be a brave leader right, CMO, 2020)

Interestingly, these same leadership capabilities that are key to engaging with empathy, are also key to thriving in today’s increasingly diverse workplaces - it is only leaders with the ability to engage, connect and create an inclusive environment who are able to unite others and thrive in culturally diverse, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary workplaces.

In some of my previous blogs I have written about the related topic of ‘connection’ and shared research that suggests this is a common leadership capability gap across the Asia Pacific region. For further information about connection, including practical steps every leader can take to build connection in your workplace, check out my previous blogs on this topic: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/connection-most-undervalued-capability-your-leaders-sumner-armstrong/ & https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/3-steps-building-connection-your-workplace-crissa-sumner/. 

Trust & outcomes-based leadership

The theme of the final leadership lesson learned through COVID-19 centres around the importance of trust & outcomes-based leadership. In the early stages of the pandemic there was a sudden shift to working remotely from home for a large percentage of the workforce. From a leadership and management perspective, this also meant a sudden shift to leading remote teams. Although this was a new style of management for many leaders to adjust to, research suggests that 83% of employee felt supported by their immediate manager in the sudden shift to remote work (Qualtrics, 2020).

Effective leadership in the context of remote teams is more systematic and deliberate. Beyond engaging with empathy, the key to successfully leading remote teams involves setting clear expectations, providing trust and autonomy, and checking in regularly. Ultimately, it requires a shift towards a trust and outcomes-based management - now is an opportunity to focus on results, not presenteeism, as Dave Gilbert, VP of Talent at Gitlab says: “Don’t be a clock watcher.”

“The coolest part of working from home is there isn’t an expectation to be at your desk. Watch the results, but not time in the chair” (Dave Gilbert, VP of Talent, Gitlab, 2020)

Importantly, the first step in trust and outcomes-based leadership involves setting clear expectations about what success looks like. With all the disruption happening in people’s personal and professional lives, it has never been more important to define what success looks like. Research shows that ~ 30% of newly remote workers says they didn’t have a clear understanding of what is expected - and this led to more anxiety, stress, and feelings of social isolation (Qualtrics, 2020). It also shows that employees who do know what success looks like are more than twice as likely to report a decrease in anxiety, and more likely to feel more productive working remotely from home.

After setting clear expectations about what success looks like, managers should demonstrate that they trust their people by providing them with autonomy and checking-in in line with the agreed schedule / timelines. Leaders who have tendencies towards micromanagement should be particularly cautious in this context, and avoid over-doing the check-ins - although your intention may be to support your people, it may come across lacking in trust and overly controlling. To mitigate this risk, invest time & effort in developing your capability to effectively lead remote teams (check out the following blog for hints & tips about leading remote teams: https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/lead-remote-teams/).

For further information about what a micromanager looks like and how you can avoid being THAT boss (including a 3-step program to tame your inner micromanager), check out my previous blog on the topic: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/single-most-likely-way-leaders-today-derail-crissa-sumner/ 

In summary, it is clear that there are many leadership lessons that can be learned from our experiences navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic – these lessons learned are also aligned with the key principles that underpin well established & evidence-based leadership theories & models (such as transformational & inclusive leadership, and social & emotional intelligence). Let’s make sure we take the time to reflect on and apply these lessons, as we will inevitably be called upon to lead through times of uncertainty and change again in the near the future.

“With all this uncertainty, there are also hidden opportunities. We need to not only react to the problem or crisis, but to also take a step back and work with our teams to see where the opportunities are” (Chien Chou, VP of Engineering, Flexport, 2020)

If you are looking to further develop your capability and confidence to lead your team and organisation through uncertainty, change & the new world of work, I recommend you start with a 360 degree feedback survey – this will help build your self-awareness and provide you with insights about a targeted development plan that will best meet your needs for more information check out the following link: https://www.qualtrics.com/au/employee-experience/360-degree-feedback/