A Year Into the Pandemic, Long Term Lessons for Leaders
March 2021 marks a full year since the COVID-19 pandemic upended our world. For twelve months now, infection and death rates have dominated the news, anxiety has influenced our social interactions, and both our work and social lives have suffered immeasurably. At the beginning of the crisis, leadership was all about agility. The businesses that survived were the ones that could make quick and decisive changes. At the time, we thought we were implementing solutions that would last for a few weeks...months at the most. But now that a year has passed, it is time to examine the long-term impact of the pandemic.
Upon my own reflection, I have determined that these three lessons are the most important:
Trust your employees. For years, business owners feared the work-from-home model. The concern was that employees would not be as dedicated or productive without direct supervision. That fear was proved unfounded almost immediately. Overall, leaders learned that workforces are motivated and adaptable. There are exceptions to this rule (as there always are), but generally speaking, so long as you are working with dedicated and responsible team members, that dedication and responsibility are not dependent on a professional working environment. Let go of some of your direct managerial tendencies and allow yourself to be confident in the capabilities of your team.
Stay agile. Most would say that good leadership comes down to good planning. I would say that good planning includes forethought that things may go awry at any moment. There will always be things that we cannot anticipate and therefore cannot plan for - but knowing that needs to be a part of your plan. Agility is the single most important leadership characteristic. Be ready to pivot at a moment’s notice, because you never know when that moment may arise.
Look for opportunities always. When unexpected things happen (like a pandemic), they are always accompanied by panic. The reaction is understandable, but it is not often productive. When everyone around you is panicking, it is important that as a leader, you find calmness and assess everything with a cool head. If you can manage that, you will uncover opportunities that others missed in the disarray. A calm reaction often allows you to gain a competitive edge, so resist the urge to succumb to the terror and look at everything with a discerning eye.
Leadership has never been easy, and good leadership has never been harder. If you have not already taken the time to reflect on what we have all been through over the past year, then it is time to turn off your phone, head out into nature and give it some intense, dedicated thought. What worked? What didn’t? What could you have done differently or better? Self-reflection is the mark of a good leader, do not let this opportunity to integrate some long-term lessons pass you by.