What I’ve learnt about being a leader in COVID times

I like to think of myself as one of the gang, one of the team and always talk about a lack of hierarchy in my business and how we all roll our sleeves up and get stuff done as we need to.  When COVID-19 hit, very quickly I realized that this is all well and good, but when a crisis happens this all goes out the window. You are the leader and you have to step up, find strength when you don’t always feel it and lead your business through the situation and very unprecedented and difficult times.

I’m not sure about you, but this time has made even the most experienced leaders I know

re-assess their leadership approach and how best to handle the toll taken by COVID-19 as it creates fear among employees, clients and other stakeholders and shakes the core and every aspect of your business. So, I wanted to share with you a few things I’ve learned so far in this time and my own personal approach to leadership in times of crisis – agility, empathy and honesty.

Agility:

I like Darwin’s quote who surmised that those who survive “are not the strongest or the most intelligent, but the most adaptable to change”.  Agility and the ability to make decisions quickly is essential right now.  Things change day to day. One day you have 50 clients, the next day 30 and then before you know it 5 or none. The decisions you need to make don’t remain the same and the sheer unpredictability itself makes it challenging to know how best to respond.  

Few good decisions are ever made in haste or under fear and so when we’re under extreme pressure it’s essential to pause to assess and anticipate before acting.  

That said we can’t take all day about it and wait for all the facts to emerge before deciding what to do and this is a mistake many make – not acting fast enough.  You need to be agile and prepared to act, but do so after taking a step back re-assessing the situation, observing responses, assessing the situation from different vantage points, anticipating what will come next and then act with the best information you have at that time (with a bit of gut instinct thrown in too!). Oh, and be prepared to have to make an entirely different decision the day after too – it comes with the territory and it doesn’t mean you made a bad decision the day before. Things change, so do decisions and required actions.

Empathy:

We need to keep in mind at all times, that this is impacting everyone, not just you and your business and bear in mind that we have no idea what other people are going through. We don’t know if they are days/weeks away from losing their business and everything they invested in. We don’t know if they can’t pay their school fees and are having to make tough decisions that may affect their kid’s educations and futures. We don’t know who lost a loved one or who may be secretly sick at home and trying to keep going the best they can.  Reminding yourself that you have no idea of what others are going through really helps and makes you a more generous, considered and calmer leader. So, when I get an angry or stressed email from a client or a team member, I always approach this from a place of empathy and find the conversation and resolution is very different than when approached from a place of fear, anger and judgement.

Honesty:

One of the most important rules in communicating with anyone in time of crisis is transparency and honesty.  This isn’t the easiest path to take or something that comes naturally to many as often as leaders we want to re-assure and instill confidence in all. However, there is nothing worse than when we see leaders taking an overconfident up-beat tone early on, only to quickly change as the situation evolves making employees question our ability and control of the situation. 

Being honest and transparent can be tough as most of the time you’re not telling people what they want to hear, but it is the primary job we as leaders have during this time. We need to be clear about what we know, what we don’t know and what we’re doing to support our team and our business. Truthfully, we don’t know how long this will last or when things will get back to “normal” or the “new normal”, but we can be honest about this, in an honest and reassuring way that demonstrates you have a plan whatever direction things may go in.

Frequent updates are really important in establishing confidence and I advise you all to follow all the usual rules of good communication. I personally speak to my team most days open and honestly with updates from the business, as well as checking in on their personal wellbeing and situation. Even if nothing specific to say or you’re waiting to say more send a thoughtful and empathetic communication to show they are top of mind and you’re in control.

Coronavirus is testing us all in ways we never imagined, but we will get through this and stronger for it and thrive again. In that I have to believe.

Have a good day all.

With love, Tash xx