Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1427300
OPINION 11.11.2021 Christian Harrison Christian Harrison is Reader in Leadership, School of Business and Creative Industries, University of the West of Scotland T he disruption and devastation caused by the COVID-19 pan- demic has changed the world. Not only has it taken the lives of more than 5 million people around the world, it has also seriously wounded the global econ- omy. Thousands of businesses have gone bust and employees are demotivated, with almost four in 10 feeling less gal- vanised at work since the pandemic. There has been a decline in produc- tivity for most businesses, with those sectors involving the most social con- tact bearing the brunt. I recently wrote about the skills that effective leaders need to possess. These have never been more relevant, especially now that we need strong leadership to guide us to recovery af- ter the pandemic. Here are four key skills crucial to help make that hap- pen. 1. Be empathetic Effective leaders need to understand the feelings, motivations and emo- tions of others, especially the people who work for them. Empathy with employees is crucial now that many people are facing diverse challenges such as anxiety, stress and adjusting to new work conditions and income de- cline. Leaders need to show that they are human. A good example is Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott, the largest hotel chain in the world with a workforce of around 121,000 people. Marri- ott's revenues experienced a drastic decline at the start of the pandemic. Sorenson recorded a video message, which has since gone viral, expressing compassion for employees and their families, reassuring them that things would get better. At the time he was being treated for pancreatic cancer and undergoing chemotherapy, but this did not pre- vent him from showing empathy – or leadership. This act of compassionate leadership is what differentiates good from great leaders during crisis. 2. Be decisive The pandemic made it imperative for business leaders to act swiftly. Sit- uations can change quickly, and suc- cessful businesses are the ones able to respond quickly and adapt to change. Good leaders need to be decisive and not averse to taking risks. They should be able to identify, evaluate and assess the risks while making difficult deci- sions. Resources during the pandemic were limited, so it was important that lead- ers adopted a logical, analytical ap- proach to ensure that decisions were made not just quickly, but thoughtful- ly. Amazon emerged from the pandem- ic stronger compared to other compa- nies because of the decisions Jeff Bez- os made at the start. As people found themselves confined to their homes due to restrictions in movement, Be- zos recruited 175,000 extra employ- ees and increased pay by £2 an hour, knowing that the pandemic was going to have a drastic impact on the supply chain and jobs. This was instrumental in helping to increase Amazon's profits during the pandemic. Which leads on to the next rule. 3. Recognise and exploit opportunities The pandemic was also a period that saw a huge leap in new and existing opportunities. The ability to recog- nise them in a crisis is vital. Leaders must be aggressive catalysts and iden- tify opportunities where others see chaos, confusion and problems. Such opportunities vary from expansion into emerging markets, to selling new products and adapting existing ser- vices, such as restaurants becoming takeaways. Eric Yuan, CEO of Zoom, is a classic example of a leader who was able to recognise and exploit opportunities that arose as a result of COVID. The pandemic led to an abrupt shift to remote working for many businesses around the world. This transformed Zoom into a global brand during the pandemic. Profits in 2020 soared to $186m, while customer growth rose by 458% compared to 2019. Yuan identified that success would depend on the company's capacity to attract big-spending corporations to Zoom in addition to people just us- ing it for free. Zoom's CEO is acutely aware that the future has changed and, regardless of how the post-pandemic world unfolds, remote working will be a fixture of it. Great leaders know the importance of this skill and are usu- ally prepared to exploit opportunities when they emerge. 4. Build effective teams Leadership is about influencing and motivating people. Leaders need to promote teamwork and foster team spirit to ensure their staff cooperate and collaborate to work together ef- fectively. To do this, employees need to trust those in charge. Leaders must be role models who lead by example; employees learn a lot from good lead- ers, especially in difficult times. Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa, was faced with an extremely diffi- cult and tragic situation in March 2015 when a suicidal pilot deliber- ately crashed his plane, killing 150 passengers. During this crisis, Spohr displayed honesty and took responsi- bility. This inspired and impressed his employees and helped build a culture of trust within the organisation after such a shattering event. To develop these skills, mentoring and personal growth activities are im- portant. Leadership is a personal jour- ney and business leaders need to com- mit to developing their own skills. No one is perfect or has all the answers, but good leaders should not be afraid to fail. They should show that life con- tinues and can improve after failing – if lessons are learned, however pain- ful. Like anything, strong effective leadership takes practice. Four key rules for successful leadership