Rafiq Jan
Strong leadership has never been so valuable than it is now. We are all navigating an unfamiliar and uncharted territory. Unprecedented situations call for unprecedented response from those in authority.
Covid-19 has brought a challenge of lifetime for business leaders. While this pandemic brings a deluge of calamities to human lives, there is a clear lesson for aspiring leaders: Dive in. They must face the waves upfront, trust their guts and beat the odds to write their own legacy.
The whole world is passing through a crisis. Pandemics, until subsided and the cure discovered, had seismically changed the human history and altered the trajectory of the world. So let’s expect something similar here too.
To brace the organisations for post crisis, people with authority have got to quit comfortable zones. One of the imperatives for leaders, in tough times, is to ensure that masses are adequately led in terms of personal wellbeing and safety.
Harvard University professor and historian Nancy Koehn sums it up: “To be able to see the iceberg ahead, leaders need to find a way to get themselves into the metaphorical eye of the hurricane”
Lead from the front
You must stay grounded and focused. Demonstrate humility, but not helplessness. Employees require a feeling of safety which ultimately pays off in term of a protection to organisation they offer. Communicate early and frequently. Do not get tempted to “shoot from the hips” while trying to engage stakeholders and making any moves. Discuss the facts bluntly and honestly without sugar-coating the facts.
Need to be brutally honest to people by explaining the dangers and the gravity of the situation in coming days. But tell them your resolve as how you plan to handle the turbulent times squarely with their support.
People are thirsty for leaders’ guidance. They look for light houses in the dark seas and want to hear the leaders say; “We are going to make this.”
In routine emergencies the experience is most desirable trait for leaders, but in novel/landscape-scale crisis like COVID-19 the character of leader is of utmost importance. He/she must uphold the most vital aspect of the job role by acknowledging the personal and professional challenges the employees and their loved ones go through. Leaders can escalate or de-escalate the fear by virtue of genuine candor and empathy and try to foster the atmosphere of innovation and loyalty instead of adding up layers of fear and despair.
Take away: Leaders are not born, they are forged in caldrons of turbulent times. COVID-19 is litmus test of leaders, its consequences could last for longer and present greater difficulties than anyone of us can anticipate.
So: Jump in. Help others. Make difference.
