In the time we are currently living in, strong leadership has never been more important while at the same time extremely challenging. Given the large amount of uncertainty facing the world, how leaders choose to react to it greatly impacts everyone and will truly shape our future. Despite all of the uncertainty, there are many individuals stepping up as leaders whether it be within an organization, an organization as a whole, or an individual in a community. These leaders are doing amazing things to help others, and there are many valuable lessons we can learn about leadership during this time.
Leadership Is About the Bigger Picture
If our current situation can teach us anything, it is to focus on the bigger picture. While it is easy to be consumed with what is going on in a specific moment, it is important for leaders to also focus on what the future of your organization is going to look like. We must be leading towards a better tomorrow rather than just leading to barely get by each day. When you focus on the big picture it is easier to find your organization’s “new normal”.
Communication Is Key
Thorough communication is always important when implementing strong leadership, but now with the majority of the workforce working from home it is more important than ever. This can be very tricky to do, especially if you are used to seeing your employees in the office everyday and catching up with them face-to-face. Currently, only 48 percent feel their supervisors are keeping them well-informed as the tackle WFH. With the daily changes we are experiencing, leaders must be more intentional with their communication to make sure their whole team is on the same page. Some suggestions for this are scheduled meetings on a regular basis (weekly, twice a week, daily, whatever works for your team), make yourself as visible as possible (Zoom should be your best friend by now), and make sure communication is going two-ways between you and your employees.
Be Flexible
It is very important that leaders are able to roll with the punches right now. What is considered the norm today, may not be tomorrow and unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it except adapt. This means leaders have to be willing to change their plans and adjust their strategies. If you are a marketer, the reality is you can’t continue to market the way you did two months ago. When you show your team that you can adapt to new challenges it instills confidence that all of you will get through this together.
Leadership Goes Beyond an Organization
Leadership right now is about more than just ensuring success of your organization. It is also about checking in with your employees and focusing on them as people and not just as workers. It is important to check in, and make sure they know you are there for them. When employees feel that their employers care about them their worry decreases and their confidence in the organization increases.
This can even go further outside of your organization to your community. There have been countless organizations going above and beyond to extend resources to their surrounding community. Examples of this are gyms that have put workouts online for free, Zoom offering free accounts, clothing brands donating to healthcare workers, and restaurants offering discounted or free food programs. The list goes on and on! (you can access all of these resources and more on Lumavate’s app, Rise Up). We have seen many companies and individuals stepping up and going above and beyond to give back to their communities and offer support to those in need. All examples of how leadership goes beyond leading the way to success, it is also about how you help others and set a good example, especially in times of need.
While we are in the midst of a difficult situation, there are many opportunities for growth and learning from one another. Especially for leaders of organizations, this is a great time to check-in with your teams, make sure everyone feels supported, and strengthen your leadership abilities.
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