For those in leadership positions, the coronavirus crisis is an unprecedented challenge.
As we navigate the COVID-19 Crisis, the new normal for ourselves and for our loved ones, we carry the added responsibility of steering our organizations through uncertain times.
By Arianna Huffington for Thrive Global
In times of crisis the need for leadership comes into sudden, clear focus — and, by the same token, a lack of leadership becomes impossible to miss. Our decisions will not only make or break a company, but have direct and lasting effects on people’s lives.
At Thrive Global, our team has been in many conversations with company leaders from a range of industries. What we’ve heard has only amplified the results of Thrive’s survey of 5,000 Americans: people are craving strong leadership and clear communication. Nearly 90% of employees feel that employers need to be doing more than just implementing travel bans and/or work-from-home policies to properly address coronavirus-related challenges during COVID-19.
What is clear is that we are at an inflection point for leaders. But meeting the challenges of navigating the new normal isn’t just about looking out; it’s about looking in. What’s missing from our conversation is how leaders need to show up ready to lead from what is best, wisest, most creative and empathetic in them.
If ever there was a moment demanding a new leadership playbook, this is it.
The first step is a mindset shift —away from the misguided belief that in urgent times leaders need to be always on and drive themselves into burnout in order to meet the challenges. In fact, the opposite is true. When what leaders are required to do is expertly manage the status quo this may work. But in times of deep uncertainty like this, in the COVID-19 environment, in order for leaders to be able to see the icebergs ahead and recognize the hidden opportunities they need to find a way to get themselves into the metaphorical eye of the hurricane — that centered place of strength, wisdom and peace which we all have inside ourselves. This was the place that Marcus Aurelius, the emperor of Rome for 19 years — facing plagues, invasions and betrayals — described in his book Meditations (the only leadership book I have by my nightstand!). Because only from that place can we come up with our most innovative and creative ideas that the times demand. What is expected of leaders is judgment, not sheer stamina.
