Earl Timothy
An unforeseen Covid-19 pandemic has rocked the world over the past few months, affecting human beings’ culture and living and impacting the business and economy. Everyone is at home and trying to cope with the new normal that being said, the pandemic gave birth to the innovation of online transactions in the digital world.
Since everyone is at home, the pandemic strengthened the use of technology from payments to shopping, buying groceries and just about everything you need. The pandemic also forced businesses to adapt and shift to the new normal workflow, such as working from home (remote work) to keep the employees in good health while still providing products or services to their customers.
At the same time, while employees work from home, the management team and companies shift their ways of handling the organization. There are different ways that management copes up with the struggles of leading in these new normal times. But the question is, are they practical, or are they incompetent? Read until the end because this article will tackle all about leadership in the new normal.
Table of Contents
What essential values of leadership do you think are necessary for dealing with the new normal?
Leadership is described as the act of guiding or influencing other individuals or groups. One essential value of a good and effective leader is being approachable. While it is important to hold on to their core values, organizations must adjust to changes and ongoing situations to fully understand the present time.
During this time, the ongoing pandemic has brought challenges to everyone in their unique circumstances. While all obstacles are different, members of an organization around the world face trials from their business leaders, stakeholders or employers with Safety, Engagement and Support.
With that being said. I listed below some of the essential values of leadership that I think is necessary for dealing with the new normal:
Trust
It is common for different leaders to have their requirements, preferences and communication style in doing things. Perhaps, it is the responsibility of the managers to recognize what these are and adjust their leadership skills accordingly.
Trust can be at a system, whether an organizational or individual level. Leaders should manage and address the needs of their team, trust that they will deliver the job so well, empower them and give them a sense of responsibility for their work.
Empathetic
People want to feel as if their stories or voices have been heard and that their opinions expressed have been taken into consideration. Everyone has had extreme pain as a result of sudden changes. It is not enough for aspiring leaders to just acknowledge and grasp the situation. As a leader, you must demonstrate empathy through patience and the capacity of understanding the feelings of others.
Recognize stress
Despite being at home, the stress of a laborer increases due to the fact that they need to work while battling for the survival of their family lives. Employee productivity, intense focus, work performance, and engagement all suffer when they are stressed. In able to have effective leadership, it is critical to provide outlets for stress relief and options for staff to seek emotional intelligence assistance in dealing with this great uncertainty.
Showing tenderness
Relationships allow everyone to get in touch with other people, recognize their needs, concerns and become with them. In the business world, you need to have a good “business” relationship with your teams, show them you care about them and authentically acknowledge their fears. Your staff will be more likely to generate positive energy and enjoy their work if you treat them nicely.
Amusing
Every employee desires and deserves happiness, which is why, as the boss, it is critical that you encourage laughing and humor in the workplace. Even in the most trying of times, a sense of humor helps everyone to share comparable experiences, lighten the mood, and strengthen bonds across the company. We all know the proverb “laughter is the best medicine,” with that being said, employees will feel delightful working under your guidance. Also, many leaders who laugh more and are approachable are seen as more confident and much respected.
What is the importance of leadership in modern times?
Leadership development is critical to companies’ success because it provides guidance, purpose, and most importantly helps others understand the organization’s long-term goals and plans. But they are a few more aspects of leadership that are essential in modern times. Here are some of them:
Vision
Successful leaders establish a clear picture of what the company can accomplish. Leaders can provide a roadmap outlining the steps and resources a company needs to arrive at the preferred destination. Developing a business vision and communicating it to your people is part of your obligation as being the one with the authority.
Communication
Leaders and executives help to communicate the company vision and mission to their staff. This provides directions and helps everybody to focus and identify the roles that best fit their skills and experiences. Leaders motivate employees to act in order to achieve goals through transparent communication.
While leadership always had to maintain clear communication, this communication needs to be more detailed and transparent today. When leading a group or organization, you need to step down from the altar and join the trenches. This means becoming more visible despite the circumstances. Online meetings and get together will create an established presence and make the team members be part of the crowd.
Flexibility
Flexibility and willingness are the ability to do whatever the situation demands. A great example, today, instead of pushing your staff to work in the office, you can give them the option of working remotely from home. Another is to get rid of the culture 9 am to 6 pm working hours instead give them flexible working hours with some certainties.
Nowadays, managers must continue learning and developing new skills to be able to understand the current situation. It might require knowledge from different people, a trusted source or course and determining what is appropriate for you and your team.
Guidance
Being one of the leaders of the company, it is important to guide your personnel to guarantee that they are on the right track and ensure productivity With proper guidance, teamwork, and leadership, everyone involved in the business process will be excited to progress, work and focus on the same goal.
Qualities of a good leader in the new normal
Indeed leaders and executives are necessary to show a good example and say good things to encourage and strengthen the organization. As a leader, new responsibilities need to be equipped to keep the business running in the midst of the new everyday living. Traditional qualities are still required and associated with leadership. Still, in these recent times, influential leaders must also have an upgraded and expanded toolset of qualities and capabilities to meet the current challenges.
Leaders must be willing to adapt
When you lead a group of people, you should have the ability to think ten steps ahead. It would be great if you assessed your abilities to handle current and future problems. When it comes to working, employees nowadays expect and demand a significant change in their workplace. Others choose to work from home to keep themselves safe from the virus. Others, especially those working for the whole family, want to work in the most flexible time to ensure that they can meet the needs of their loved ones.
No one expects what a pandemic can do, but as a leader, you should equip yourself with the willingness to adapt because the world is changing, and the traditional ways of handling an organization have been taken off by technology.
Transparency
Being a leader does not mean that you are emotionless. If the business is experiencing low performance, tell your people to know what to do and be ready as they give logical solutions to improve the workforce and see the big picture. Now that a big crisis has come, everyone should work together, and if you do not get the other leaders and teams in the company to know what is going on in the business, you might hit a great downfall. You are not forced to disclose every detail regarding what is going on in the organization. Sometimes you just need to inform the people involved to get insights into what to do for a specific matter.
Creating a safe environment and sense of belonging
All personnel fulfills their duties only if they believe that executives care first about them. Again if you are open and transparent to your team members, you will make them feel as if you care about them and are a part of the company. It is your role as a leader to create and lead an environment in which people believe their work lives are more than simply about making money.
Again, leadership is vital in the workplace especially now that we are facing a new living environment. Yet, there are things that you need to know when it comes to handling the situation of the present time. Things might be hard for you and so for your employees. So, if you want your business to keep serving during these days and running in the future, make sure that you are guiding them in the right direction with proper solutions.
