Good leadership

During their time at the helm of a company, business leaders likely will have had experience in handling a difficult situation such as a business restructure, layoffs and even negative press.

But one thing none of them will have had experience with is navigating a global pandemic and supporting staff at the same time.

However, re-wind 12 months ago and this is exactly what business leaders across the globe had to tackle as coronavirus wreaked havoc around the world.

As the pandemic continues to keep its firm grip, there are still many skills that execs need in order to navigate Covid. To give you an idea of what some of these are,Executive Grapevinehas compiled a list of five below:  

1. Asking questions

Drawing employees into the conversations you are having by asking them questions and what they think about a business decision can have a huge impact on an organisation. Not only does this provide you with advice from across the business, but it also allows staff members to feel part of the dialogue and that their opinion matters – a great way to improve productivity and engagement.

The onus then falls on you as a leader to listen and take charge, while also truly understanding what people need and want within the business.

2. Saying ‘thank you’

The past year has been turbulent for everyone, where uncertainty has plagued employees who have naturally been concerned for their jobs as the pandemic has deeply impacted sectors such as tourism, hospitality and retail. Due to this, it is vital that business leaders show their recognition for employees’ hard work during this time, as many have been struggling with anxiety, financial worries and isolation while carrying on with their day job.

To ensure this recognition is authentic, a Forbes article stated that it’s important to understand the difference between praise and flattery, as this will ensure staff believe you are being honest and true when it comes to recognising their efforts.

While these two points are crucial to help leaders navigate through Covid, there are also several traditional skills that they can rely on to help, as detailed below:

3. Transparency

Results from the 2013 TinyPulse Employee Engagement Survey found that transparency is the number one factor contributing to employee happiness. And right now, transparency has never been more important for a leader to champion as uncertainty continues to cause challenges for staff in light of the pandemic. Therefore, being visible and transparent with your team is essential so that they are clearly aware and understand any business shifts or changes that may be upcoming.

To carry this out, when conducting company-wide meetings be as present and visible as possible to show that you are putting employees first. Plus it is also worth regularly checking in with employees to see how they are coping, something that needs to be considered more with employees working remotely.

4. Learning opportunities

To enhance your career and upskill it is worthwhile for any leader to look for something new to learn. This can be formal, such as taking part in a workshop or working alongside a mentor, or it can be informal. This could include talking to colleagues, reading a thought leadership article or simply asking questions.

Getting into the habit of this every day will enhance your capabilities to deal with new challenges, something that is particularly prevalent today.

5. Time management

For the above to truly work, any leader worth their salt needs to place an increased focus on time management. With so many tasks to fit in during the day, it can be easy to divert from one of the most crucial items on a to-do list. To avoid this, Entrepreneur has shared some key tips to tackle time management effectively.

These include scheduling in time the night before to take on tasks, delegating responsibilities wherever possible, planning for focused periods of work time and getting on with the hardest tasks early in the day as that is when productivity levels tend to be at their highest.