If you’ve been one of our clients for very long, we’ve probably talked about the concept of friction. Friction is the byproduct of unexpected events or unanticipated consequences that tends to act like sand in the crank case of your best laid plans. If ever there was a clear example of friction, the Covid-19 pandemic is it.

Effective leaders expect to encounter friction even though they can rarely predict a specific source. The best approach to weathering friction from any source is to expect it, recognize when it’s happening and cultivate resilience within yourself, your teams, and your organization. Now that we are in the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic with new surges happening across the country, it might be helpful to review some basic leadership tenets that can help you reground and cultivate resilience. While they may seem simple, these practices are easily forgotten in times of crisis and uncertainty. We offer some here for a quick review.

Leadership Presence – In times of stress, your people look to you and your leadership team as a model for how they should behave. This is the time to demonstrate your own resilience. You can do this through the words you choose, through your physical presence, and through your responsiveness to the challenge. Listen carefully to constantly assess how the situation is impacting individuals and the organization and manage your own resilience by maintaining healthy eating, exercise, adequate sleep and downtime.

Leverage hierarchy within your organization – While most of our clients are in the midst of transition to an integrated, more matrixed organization, urgent challenges like the Covid-19 pandemic call for clear lines of communication both up and down the organization to rapidly disseminate information from leadership to the front lines. People on the frontlines need to know what to do and leadership needs to know how their plans are working on the front lines so that adjustments can be made quickly. Use hierarchical structures to strengthen the channels of communication so everyone can feel confident in the information they are getting.

Clear, consistent, and frequent communication – This is the time when integrity and credibility matter most. If you have established these core elements of trust over time, you’ll find it easier to reassure people and call them to action as needed. One of my grad school professors said, “The best way to lead in times of complexity is to tell the truth and offer hope.” This is especially important in times of uncertainty; the world is rife with that in this global pandemic, economic collapse and nationwide civil unrest! When you don’t know the answer, share what you do know and admit what you don’t. As an unknown author once said, “the best place between a rock and a hard place is the TRUTH.”

Acknowledge effort and express appreciation – When things get challenging, acknowledgement and appreciation go a long way for those who are on the frontlines, as well as managers who are rising to the challenge in times of individual and organizational stress. Be as visible as you can within the guidelines of social distancing. If it’s not feasible to “walk the halls”, offer online Town Halls where you can share updates and acknowledge the hard work and sacrifices everyone is making, particularly our healthcare providers and first responders on the front lines. Sharing a sense of connection to a larger purpose strengthens resilience.

Scan the Environment and Prepare for the Future – Even in the midst of a surging first wave, you must prepare now for a potential second wave in the fall, followed by a gradual return to a new normal at some point in the future. Learn from your successes and failures as well as those of others. Consider old behaviors, practices, and assumptions that seemed to be obstacles to progress in the past but have abruptly changed within days. A great example of this is telehealth. Prior to the pandemic, most of our clients had been moving toward some mix of telehealth and traditional in person visits. There were barriers such as inadequate reimbursement policies, beliefs that patient visits must be face to face to be effective and so forth. But within two days, one of our clients had moved their busy primary care group of over 400 providers to virtually 100% telemedicine, at least for initial triage. CMS established new reimbursement guidelines for telemedicine and physicians and patients have learned how effective virtual visits can be. Resilient organizations are better at managing current crises without losing sight of opportunities to prepare for the new normal.

In summary, challenging times call for resilient leaders who can lead through disruption and capitalize on the opportunities for change that will undoubtedly come their way. Take time to scan your environment and consider the following two questions – What kind of leader do you want and need to embody in these extraordinary times? What new knowledge and wisdom have you bought yourself and your organization with the gigantic investment our nation, our organizations and we as individuals have made to navigate this unprecedented crisis?

As Winston Churchill once said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste!”

 


If you would like to schedule a free, just-in-time coaching session with Rich or Jane to discuss some of your current leadership challenges, please contact Deborah Lahti, our assistant at Deborah.lahti@leadersgofirst.com. We are here to help!