In continuing some thoughts from my last two posts—in which I shared insights gained through interviewing top CEOs and listening tours with senior executives on their key learnings in guiding their companies through the global pandemic of COVID-19—I’d like to share the following points on three more essential leadership traits: trust, transparency, and emotional agility. These traits are always important for strong leadership, but they become even more critical during crisis periods.
What stood out across my conversations with CEOs and executives was the critical importance of leadership knowing that they are shaping the tone, stability, and focus for their teams, employees, customers, and communities. Leaders must be acutely aware of how they are showing up and inspiring action when employees’ levels of stress and anxiety are at an all-time high.
People are working and living with many unknowns, in some cases not knowing when and how their kids are going back to school, or being stuck working and living in a room or basement with no line between their professional and personal life. Leaders need to be deeply self-aware and intentional about their thinking and mindset, how they respond to the crisis and uncertainty, and how they plan to inspire others to action. How leaders engage and show up can motivate others to do the same.
A majority of the executives and CEOs I spoke with emphasized that while many believe tough times build great leadership, it may be more accurate to say that tough times reveal the capacity, maturity, and character of a great leader.
Here are some strategies to keep in mind:
Real leaders don’t pass the buck. While it may be tempting to use leadership power to put someone else on the front lines with tough decisions or a particularly challenging area, effective leaders face these tough issues head on. They have the courage, empathy, and confidence to be the most visible and active participant on hot-button issues and don’t shy away from making unpopular decisions for the greater good. While true leaders detect the problem and stay central to solving it, they don’t do this in a vacuum—they also inspire and cultivate the right people around them to help them address or solve logistical issues relating to the issues.
Use both peripheral and tunnel vision. True leaders develop both “peripheral vision” and “tunnel vision” during times of crisis. This is so they can both look around to notice warning signs with their peripheral vision, but also stay focused on what’s most important through tunnel vision. Being short-term focused is easy to do in the good times but becomes more challenging in crisis situations. By having the ability to adjust your viewpoint—expand your zoom lens to stay prepared for tough times as needed—this helps ensure that you won’t lose sight of future goals and ambitions that will still be there once the crisis passes.
Distinguish between urgent and important. Dr. Stephen Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” developed a concept that helps leaders distinguish between matters that are immediately pressing and urgent (as in a crisis), and matters that are truly important in the long-term (once the crisis is over). Great leaders focus on what’s important and mission-driven, rather than letting go of the most important company values in the heat of challenging times. Increase your discipline to focus on what’s important, so that you can make distinctions on what’s central to your company in the long-term, versus focusing only on what seems to be important at that moment because it demands a quick response.
Trust is essential. A CEO for the hospitality industry stressed that trust is essential for leading in times of ambiguity and challenge. Trust does not just happen—it must be a key principle or value of a leader, and it calls for leaders to be intentional and accessible to others. At its core, building trust requires making sure you are not only truthful in your words, but consistent with your actions. Trust also requires listening to others without judgment. Leaders should aim to meet their teams where they are currently regarding their fears, concerns, and aspirations.
Transparency is key. This CEO also emphasized that during times of uncertainty, strong leaders share the tough news, setting the tone for how a setback creates opportunity. The more transparent you are, the more others will respect you, follow you, and will come together to create new approaches and ideas to address the challenges or new opportunities you need to put focus on.
Emotional intelligence and agility tie it all together. Understanding your emotions and being aware of how they might impact team members is what separates great leaders from the rest. Being in tune with not only your own emotions but recognizing what others might be thinking and feeling—and leading with that awareness front and center—is what helps leaders effectively weather crisis periods.
As we navigate through the present pandemic together, it’s important for today’s business leaders to remember that any disruption, as unprecedented as this is, can result in new ways of thinking, innovative solutions, and a greater appreciation for diversity of leadership around the table. It’s this diversity of thought, perspective, and approach—and the inclusive leaders who enable and encourage these differences—that will be the winning formula as we create a new playbook for leadership. SHAMBAUGH believes that our goal as leaders should be to stand together during challenging times for being a resilient and inclusive culture.
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Rebecca Shambaugh is President of SHAMBAUGH Leadership, and Founder of Women in Leadership and Learning. Rebecca is a contributing writer to Harvard Business Review, the HuffPost, and a TEDx speaker. Rebecca has been featured on CNBC, Forbes, Training Magazine, and US News and World Report. She is author of the best-selling booksIt’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor andMake Room for Her: Why Companies Need an Integrated Leadership Model to Achieve Extraordinary Results.
Find out more about us at: www.shambaughleadership.com