LEADING THROUGH THE COVID-19 CRISIS:  WASH YOUR HANDS …. AND DON’T DISAPPEAR

Your first and foremost job as a leader is to take charge of your own energy and then orchestrate the energy of those around you

Peter Drucker

Who you are thunders so loud I can’t hear a word you are saying

Ralph Waldo Emerson

You, as a leader of an organization, are facing something that no business school or leadership development program has ever prepared you for.  Of course, I mean responding to the onset and unbridled spread of the new COVID-19 CoronaVirus.  At the time of this writing there are now over 110,000 identified cases and over 3800 fatalities within some 30+(NEED TO CHECK THIS) countries worldwide.  It is the lead story of every media outlet in the world. Financial markets are reeling. Integrated global supply lines are being disrupted. Complete countries and/or cities are in lock down.  Health care facilities are overrun.  Complete industries like oil and gas and travel are in disarray.  And specifically, your company’s customers, suppliers, stakeholders and employees are as challenged, bewildered, worried and concerned as you are.  Uncertainty. Indecision. Ambiguity. Even panic. There is no leadership owner’s manual or roadmap to navigate these uncharted waters. So …. what can you do as a leader of your company?

Self-protection is expected and natural

We know in such uncertainty it is entirely predictable and natural for people to go into self-protection mode – how is this affecting me.  Last you noticed you are human too ….. as is everyone in your organization and professional network who is connected to you in some fashion.  Just as you have your unique version of both personal and business questions to answer and challenges to address, others you lead also have their unique version of worries and doubts.  Should I travel to see my customer? How will we get serviced from our foreign suppliers?  Will I lose my job if business really falls off? How well does our healthcare plan cover me if I do contract the virus? How might I manage if my elderly parents become ill? Your questions, your doubts, your worries are also theirs.  

You have a captive audience – use it

Uncertain conditions create a tremendous opportunity for you to exhibit the authenticity of your leadership character.  It is said great sailors are made in rough waters so welcome aboard! While you are also in some form of personal self-protection, as a leader of others you have a captive audience waiting for, not just information, but empathetic, compassionate direction.  Like it or not you are one of the most important sources of focus, direction and confidence right now for all the people that orient to you inside and outside your company.  While they may be explicitly asking you specific immediate operational and logistical questions, moreover they are waiting for you to show up authentically. 

Take charge and grab the spotlight or risk more chaos

While you are personally pressured to the max and may be experiencing a strong tendency to isolate yourself with your leadership team and other government and health advisors to “figure this out”, you are losing a valuable window of leadership opportunity.  Your people need you to be more accessible and visible than ever. In the absence of your leadership, your people, albeit with good intentions will make their own decisions with potentially compromising results and confusion for your company, customers and suppliers.  As the quotable former catcher of the Yankees, Yogi Berra, once said “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else”.  That ‘someplace else’ might create more chaos, ambiguity and perhaps even some panic.

Lead with authentic empathy, compassion and integrity

Empathy will reveal that you understand how others are experiencing the implications of the COVID-19 challenges.  Compassion will emphasize your genuine desire to take action to minimize others distress. Integrity will highlight your commitment to tell the fact-based truth and also keep your promises of ongoing support and future communication.

Get out there. Don’t disappear