Why Resilient Leadership is Critical Right Now
To say that COVID-19 has upended the business world is an understatement. Business leaders – and their teams – are navigating through unprecedented situations that combine the challenges of remote working, a significant economic downturn, and, in many cases, the need to reinvent or downsize the business, at least in the short term.
Now that we’re several weeks into our socially distanced new normal, the stress we’re all under is coming to the surface. A new poll shows that 88 percent of us are feeling moderately to extremely stressed over the past 4 – 6 weeks. And, 7 in 10 employees rate the coronavirus pandemic as the most stressful time of their entire career – even more than major events like 9/11 and the Great Recession of 2008.*
As I consult with my clients both in North America and globally, they’re wanting to do more than facilitate remote work for their employees. They want to regain or build their team’s resilience, but they’re not really sure how. It takes me back to my own experience navigating the aftermath of 9/11 as a business leader. My takeaway, then and now, is how critical resilience is for both leaders and individuals working as part of a team.
Team resilience (from home) is the new normal
The reality is most organizations and leaders, even with the best intentions, aren’t always prepared to lead with or build team resilience in the midst of a disruptive force like we’re experiencing now. I know I wasn’t prepared after 9/11. Right now, leaders, managers, and individual contributors are being called on to rise to the occasion, transition seamlessly to remote work, and solve critical business challenges. The enterprise-level support and engagement programs have largely focused on communication, connectivity, and productivity. But, for the most part, employers aren’t addressing the highly personal struggles many employees are facing.
The stay-at-home orders and economic repercussions impact employees on both a personal and professional level. Resilient leadership includes recognizing one size won’t fit all. The enterprise-level support I’ve seen from companies has been nothing short of remarkable, especially in terms of how quickly companies made the transition to working remotely and employees pitched in to keep businesses running. But, behind that, individuals are dealing with personal challenges, concerns, and fears. Challenges with kids being out of school. Concerns about health and mental well-being. Fears about being out of a job.
Coaching as a complement
Working with a few clients, we’ve developed a Focus Coaching program to deliver personalized support for managers and individual employees. It’s a turnkey approach that adds small group manager coaching and individual coaching options as a complement to the enterprise-level support, which enables business leaders to further demonstrate their own resilience while supporting team resilience by offering a confidential option where managers and employees have access to professional coaching resources to help them articulate and address their concerns.
For employees, it’s support that shows the leader recognizes the personal challenges and is willing to help. It also demonstrates an understanding that employees may not be comfortable expressing their concerns and anxieties in a conversation with a manager or coworkers. Providing a professional, third-party coach who not only listens but also assists with resilience-building tools can be a powerful way to reinforce the leader’s commitment to each individual’s well-being.
For employers, we’ve focused on developing a turnkey solution that addresses budget and resource concerns by being scalable, cost-efficient, and easy-to-implement. As a result, there’s potential to see a meaningful return at the organizational level by giving the business the momentum it will need, in terms of people resources and productivity, to successfully emerge on the other side of the coronavirus crisis.
When we look back on this situation, I think recognizing the importance and impact of resilience will be one of the biggest lessons learned. Beyond the day-to-day mechanics of keeping the business running, leaders who are able to show they understand the related struggles – both professional and personal – will take away powerful tools for effective and authentic leadership. I’m here to help. Reach out for more information about our Focus Coaching program and to talk about the support you and your team need.
* Second Annual Workforce Attitudes Report & Addendum, Ginger, April 2020.