Leading Through the Pandemic

We hope everyone is healthy and well during this difficult time. For those that have been affected by this terrible situation in any way, we hope that things are improving.

The issues and tactics for strong leadership we have discussed previously within this blog have become especially pertinent during this period of worldwide disruption. It has proven that leaders in this new reality must be able to effectively chorale their team, understand their situations, and give them the tools and energy to push through times of disruption.

For one, we are at the highest risk ever of becoming fragmented teams of individuals, everyone moving in their own disjointed direction, while the group goes nowhere together very quickly. Leaders in this environment need to ensure a culture of teamwork; command and control style leadership is doomed to fail in our new reality. Not only is supervision by leaders that hover over employees’ shoulders and micromanaging still wrong, it’s now even less effective. The command and control style leader is completely crippled in today’s world - and who knows if the traditional workplace will even return.

With Modus commencing projects during this time, it has become evident that the quick learning, self starters, are really shining in our remote working situations. These are the type that gather questions as they move along and solve problems within their reach, helping the leader’s precious time be rationed more efficiently.

The most common themes between leaders and workers that are seemingly the most successful in this environment are adaptability and resilience. It can be tough to wake up and walk to the same room every day, missing that social interaction at the coffee machine, and feeling apart from others.

Have you found yourself missing the daily commute? We have found that the daily commute was an important mental processing time where the brain could organize and file the thoughts and interactions of the day, while forming ideas for resolution of the trickiest of issues in the workplace. Those that balance their time with healthy activity outdoors and exercise, seem to be more resilient. Even taking a walk to the mailbox after an intense meeting can help to refocus the mind and somewhat simulates the office experience we are all used to.

Lastly, the ever important one on one meeting is now even more critical to organization and team mental health. You no longer walk past your team every day, no one can walk into your office to have a chat or resolve that burning issue they’ve had delaying their work. The 1:1 discipline must be stepped up during this time to maintain optimal team function.

Remember, even though productivity has improved for many office based workers since this “WFH” situation has begun, we need to ensure we’re all still rowing together in unison.

These attributes of empathetic leadership are critical components of the type of leadership that will prosper even more during a global pandemic. Your customers will want to work with an engaging and positive team that is well focused on their work. The tactics discussed in “The Fire Warden” are ever more critical during this time, you must clear the way for the team and ensure you’re supporting their mental and emotional health if you want to succeed.