Leadership During Covid-19

Many leaders are struggling during this Covid-19 season, however it is during times of crisis that we find are most apt leaders.

The question most leaders are facing, then, is this: How do we move forward in such uniquely uncertain circumstances? Positive, effective leadership helps us navigate crises, rebuild communities, and forge ahead in moments of ambiguity. But faced with so many challenges colliding at once, many leaders struggle to be positive or effective to pave a straight path forward.

To respond positively and effectively, leaders can do three things: clarifying your purpose, supporting your stakeholders, and bolstering your emotional and organizational resilience.

Clarifying Your Purpose

Clarifying your purpose means to re-discover or reiterate your purpose. Far too often, in moments of crisis, businesses shrivel and zero in on bottom-line fundamentals and metrics. Instead, amidst a crisis, leaders should drawback and remember what their guiding principles are. Realizing your principles helps put and instills confidence and good spirit among stakeholders that share your principles. In times of change, workers, consumers, and investors alike will gravitate toward organizations whose purpose reflects their personal values and beliefs.

Supporting Stakeholders

Supporting stakeholders means taking stock of who your stakeholders are — from customers and investors to employees, communities, and society as a whole. It means identifying what they need and recognizing that these needs may differ between each person. It means determining how you can serve them most effectively, from short-term decisions like how to continue operations at a time of social distancing, to long-term considerations such as whether to prioritize employees’ current wages or equity for retirement. Your stakeholders are the people who drive and measure your success, and particularly when success feels elusive, your commitment to them can build the trust, confidence, and morale required to push through.

Bolstering Your Emotional and Organizational Resilience

Bolstering your emotional and organizational resilience is also important. Even with a strong purpose and a plan to serve your extended community, your progress may not be immediately apparent. You will need to create resolve in order to stay on track and to handle the kind of attention that comes from doing so. To make that adjustment, identify and access the actions and behaviors that make you a more thoughtful and capable leader—whether that involves making time for activities that restore your energy, pursuing the space you need to gain perspective, or simply ensuring that you are getting the sleep you need. In short, find balance.

Keep in mind that doing these three things, even in good times, requires us to make difficult choices, but the good leadership qualities that push us through this global crisis will make us stronger as we face new challenges. The ability to understand who we are and what we value, recognize our responsibilities and our opportunities, and chart a course based on our most fundamental goals while supporting our own emotional resilience and that of our organization — these are skills that make us great leaders, leading to great success.