The role of people leaders in the ‘new normal’
Organisations from Cape Reinga to Bluff have felt the effects of the ever shifting bubble. We keep hearing stories of layoffs, management changes and businesses shutting their doors for good.
Everyone is still trying to adjust to the new social, economic and political environment we’re living through.
COVID-19 will flatten the curve, change organisational hierarchies and bring experts into important strategic roles.
Leadership will be tested and the role of the manager will be quintessential to organisational survival.
So what do we need to do?
What is the ‘new normal’?
Put simply, we don’t know yet . . .
Society is changing every day and there are more predictions than certainties right now.
Such predictions include changes to industry and job types, increasing reliance on digital technologies, the mainstream adoption of remote working policies and new dynamic relationships between home and work life - to name a few . . .
Amongst all of this uncertainty, business continuity has never been more critical. As people leaders it’s our job to ensure continuity by bringing a sense of calm and clarity of purpose to the workplace.
Nonetheless, how are we supposed to demonstrate composure and communicate purpose when we don’t know what tomorrow will bring?
Linda Ginzel frames it as, “Leading is about guiding people into the future despite its risks and uncertainties.”
But how exactly do we do that?
As Eric J. McNulty explains, the effectiveness of our leadership will be defined by our capacity to adapt, be resilient and our level of trust within the organisation.
Adapting to change
In 2020, being able to adapt and pivot are critical leadership skills.
Thankfully, flexibility is not just a personality trait. Rather, a skill that can be developed with experience.
To lead with flexibility means seeking out new perspectives, working with different people across the organisation and making decisions as-and-when new information comes in.
It requires accepting the notion that we’re not always going to get things right, and that’s okay. This will help to ease the pressure on ourselves as leaders and make us more receptive to new ideas.
Rather than trying to cling to old workplace habits and policies, we should be working to maintain a healthy workplace culture that’s focused on values and supporting each other.
The current crisis is an opportunity to test the strength of our organisational culture and values. We need to know what we stand for . . .
If it doesn’t go beyond profit for shareholders, now is the time to revisit our values and build something better. Something that inspires staff and develops a culture resilient enough to survive tough economic periods.
Being resilient
We should acknowledge that many staff will be acting out worst case scenarios in their head. Some will be concerned for their jobs, others will be scared for their health and the health of their friends and family.
As a result of this fear, it comes as no great surprise that 35% of people in New Zealand are less productive right now. Therefore, we need to first release some of the tension.
Because unhappy, angsty employees will never do their best work.
To counter such feelings of angst, begin facilitating open dialogue sessions that address questions and concerns.
It’s also a good idea to put a system in place to ensure that all feedback is collected and nothing slips through the cracks.
Next, gather the leadership team together and discuss what was learned. What needs to be actioned to counter any concerns?
One strategy to reduce uncertainty and angst is to be upfront about the risks, challenges and approach to crisis management.
As Charles Kettering put it, “A problem well stated is a problem half-solved.”
Indeed, if we can clearly communicate the extent of the situation, we can work to reframe internal thinking from uncertainty to problem solving.
The other part of this process is about fostering resilience in ourselves and the people in our organisation. Deloitte argues that there are five steps to resilient leadership:
Design from the heart . . . and the head
Put the mission first
Aim for speed over elegance
Own the narrative
Embrace the long view
This process highlights the need for leadership that is holistic, focused and decisive, and delivered using deliberate communication.
Demonstrate these traits effectively and set the example for a more resilient organisation.
Communicating trust
Trust is communicated with open, honest dialogue that is then backed up by action. Without honest dialogue, staff won’t know what is expected of them or what to expect from us as leaders.
They will make assumptions and likely create problems that wouldn’t have existed otherwise. As Elia Pekica Pagon describes it, "Open communication is the key to solving any problem."
On the other side of the coin, without action, leadership is susceptible to being undermined as people take matters into their own hands.
This means: Rather than leading a ship into open waters heading in the same direction, we’ll be paddling separate rafts that drift in the changing currents.
The key to getting everyone back on board is therefore the blend of clear communication and decisive action. This is also where trust comes from.
And leadership can never be effective without it.
Next Steps
While the future is still clouded with uncertainty, there are things we can do as leaders to control the controllable, and let go of the rest.
We can train ourselves to be flexible, resilient, trustworthy communicators. We can become better leaders, managers and team members.
We can assess our organisational culture and values and build something better.
Doing all of these things will lead to happier, confident staff that increase performance and productivity levels across the board.
By working together, our people can learn to weather any storm, whatever the future throws at us.
If you want to learn more about leadership and organisational culture strategies, get in touch below.