The crisis caused by the Coronavirus is turning out to affect all sectors of the industry, and it is also seen affecting the leadership strategies. It has posed a challenge to all kinds of planning and risk mitigation strategies that all the business leaders have thought of for their organization.

From working with the executive leaders and their teams for preparing enterprise transformation, leaders have to decide on various things in order to build up their organization. Presently, due to the outbreak of this global pandemic, it has created a challenge for the leaders for keeping the entire team cohesive and productive

Covid-19 has made the organization realize that there are certain limitations that have been caused and so the team members need to learn quickly in a fast environment so that the business can keep going on even in such critical condition.

It has also caused transitional challenges, and because of this, there are many organizations that have adopted various short term options so that they will be able to achieve long term benefits.

There are a number of challenges that have stacked up on the shoulders of the leaders, and so they need to adapt to this new environment and reach up to the expectations of the society.

Here are some of the actions that can help you to become a strong leader:

• Prepare a list of priorities

In such a critical situation, it is very important to prepare a list of priorities which should be clear and concise so that the employees can understand and implement effective strategies to fulfill the list.

Effective leaders should have the ability to make informed decisions keeping in mind the important things of their organization and keep the employees informed about the decisions that have been made. Also, there should be clear authorization from the centre so that all your works are put in proper order.

If the leaders provide unclear and contradictory priorities, it might cause confusion, and during situations like this, it might really be difficult to cope up with the organization’s strategies. Therefore, it is very important that the leaders set up a clear list of priorities which can be easily understood by the employees

• Adopt the latest digital transformation

There were many businesses that were using various digital ways to conduct their business. But, due to the Covid-19 crisis, it has begun to be used more widely and rapidly by almost all the organization, and so it can be said that it has become a kind of urgent priority.

Since the clients and employees have been using a few digital platforms, they are accustomed to the digital technologies and so it is quite easy for them to adapt to the digital ways of conducting business as well. However, there are small businesses which might take time to adopt this transformation.

So, the leaders need to make sure that whatever digital transformation they are planning to adopt, it needs to be holistic and should not be constrained by the existing processes. Also, the leaders need to focus on finding out new ways that can be incorporated in the working of the organization in an effective way

• Build up trust and compassion

There are many companies where the employees were working remotely even before the Covid-19 pandemic started. So, the leaders were showcasing their care via video chatting or other methods. It is very important for the leaders to understand that in order to show your concern for your employees, you need to be physically present.

A good leader will share optimism and hope to the employees even through other means, and at times like this, the leaders need to show extra concern for their employees. The leaders are the front line of every organization, and every department needs to play an active role at the time of such a crisis, and the employees need to know about the activities in such unprecedented times.

Have a conversation with your employees and build up their trust and compassion so that they can work more effectively for the organization

• Prioritize the employee’s well being

Organizations are working hard to keep their employees physically safe, but there are other factors like financial, social and career well-being that needs to be taken care of as well. There are many employees that have been struggling financially in order to run their household activities.

Therefore, the leaders need to strategize various methods for not only preventing the infection but also to provide emotional and financial support to the employees. All this is an important factor which might also affect the overall performance of the employees. So, as an effective leader you need to take proper care of all these factors as well

• Remember to be honest

At a time like this, it is also important for the leaders to be honest, empathetic and clear with the employees. As we live in an era where there is the rapid spread of information from multiple sources, the leaders should remember to stay honest all the times and keep the employees trust in you in order to conduct the business effectively.

You need to act as a trusted source and remember to use an effective communication plan in order to communicate important information to your employees. The plan should be understandable, especially in a situation that is volatile and unpredictable.

Resilient leaders need to be empathetic and should think through the minds of the employees and customers. For this, the leaders need to think hard in order to keep their employees safe at such difficult times.

Covid-19 is a pandemic situation that is continuing to impact millions of people. It has also affected a number of businesses and organizational functioning.

However, in order to keep the employees united and working for the betterment of the organization, good leadership is important, and at the time of such crisis, it also gives an opportunity to the leaders to create more innovation at such difficult times.

Also, the companies can benefit from good leadership and by understanding and adopting new technologies.

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Source – Gartner