What has COVID-19 and the war crisis taught us about leadership?

What is happening in Ukraine is horrific and catastrophic for humanity.? During these most recent challenging times, COVID, war crisis, enduring climate change, “The Great Resignation”, where do our leaders stand?? What has shifted, what is “new leadership” in this new work??

Most recently, the bestselfy team was working with a group of leaders on self-leadership after rolling out our new manager journey feature and it was evident that companies are failing people managers of the actual “inner” work needed to lead with intent.?

In a recent article on how the Ukrainian Present Zelensky is showing the world how to lead, organizational psychologist, Adam Grant, captures this perfectly:

Charisma attracts attention. Courage earns admiration. But commitment to a group is what inspires loyalty. We follow the leaders who fight for us -- and we make sacrifices for the leaders who serve us.

This has nothing to do with transactions;? It has everything to do with interactions.

In our new work environment, leaders need to do some self-discovery and simply, be there for their people.? In a recent McKinsey study as to why employees are leaving (and my 2022 prediction is that they will continue to leave continuously and more leaders will join this movement as I like to call, this is “The Great Reflection”), I've broken down what leaders need to provide via the following three elements below, so let's start with 'Growth' to trigger feeling valued and establish a sense of belonging.

1?? Discover the growth needs of your employee

ASK: What is your growth aim? (e.g., mastering a skill, learning about another area of the business, or something entirely new, taking on a? leadership role). Help your employee visualize their aims and help support their growth facilitation.??

ACTION: Continuously facilitate growth opportunities. Help them find a mentor, make them part of a cross-functional project, allow them to learn a new skill, recommend them for a leadership development track.?

2?? Co-create growth plans?

ASK: What does progress look like over a set period of time????

ACTION: Write down the exact plan and keep this visible to both you and your employee; share with HR and with others across the company.?

3?? Add growth aim to your 1:1s

ASK: What progress have you made on your growth aim?? What have you learned?? Any blockers? How can I further support you? What’s your concrete next step??

ACTION: Make sure growth conversations happen in every 1:1.? Embed their growth aim as an agenda point to track, recognize, and celebrate each milestone.??

We have managers and employees use bestselfy to provide transparency and a framework on how to have these types of coaching conversations.??

Reflection question of the month??

“How are you showing up every single day as a leader?”

On a personal note, I’ve just started as a volunteer coach for Ukrainians looking for jobs. Providing a safe space for them to connect, speak about their growth aim, and hope for a better future is what I can personally do to help.? It’s up to every leader to give and serve as best as we can. How are you personally serving??

In hope & peace,

Hilary

CEO & Co-Founder

bestselfy - interactive platform to turn everyday managers into extraordinary coaches