THE leadership competency for 2020 is Crisis Management. Nothing defines a leader and an organization better than how they react in a crisis. A true leader thinks of the big picture and looks for ways to contain the crisis, while positioning the organization and its people for when the crisis is over. Retreating, mistreating others and procrastination are not behaviors a good leader exhibits in a crisis.
- Act now – Don’t procrastinate, or worse, be ignorant to what is happening. Obtaining information from reputable sources, understanding all options and having multiple plans in place that can be easily executed are essential in times of crisis.
- Don’t mistreat – Take care of your people. A leader will take every measure to see their people are taken care of. This includes taking financial measures to ensure employees are given their full pay and benefits. The leader understands the crisis is temporary and when it is over, knows loyalty to their employees in tough times leads to employees being loyal to them in times of abundance.
- Don’t retreat – Engage the workforce. During a crisis, it is easier to be insular and avoid people, especially when the workforce is remote. Having a plan in place so that every employee is contacted regularly, listened to and assured of their place in the organization is essential.
Now, more than ever, is the time to demonstrate your leadership skills in your organization, and beyond. Don’t be afraid to share what you’re doing to engage your workforce, treat your employees well, and act with urgency with other leaders outside of your organization.
HRchitect has been a 100% virtual organization for many years, so our workforce is accustomed to working remotely.Nonetheless, during this time of crisis our employees deal with stress and worry as they follow what we are experiencing across the world and work to ensure the safety of those around them as well as themselves.
As leaders we have increased the level of communication and personal touch, expanding in creative ways such as engaging in virtual games/trivia to bring the team even closer together. We have-like many other leaders in other organizations-forgone components of management compensation to ensure that employees do not see an impact on their compensation. Our employees make our company and come first. We work to ensure that our employees know that they have an open-door policy with management and that we are working with them in a collaborative and transparent fashion to navigate this new landscape – which is tough on all of us. We are all in this together and in times of crisis taking care of those who have put their trust in you when they signed up, to the best of your ability, is what counts.
What are you doing to demonstrate leadership in your organization right now?