It is in difficult times that competent, effective and above all human leadership is needed more than ever, but it must be recognized that few leaders are prepared to face such a challenge in a scenario like today. and the contradictions can be huge. So how should a leader act during the coronavirus crisis?
The answer is yes. These skills are also useful for health security experts, political leaders, organizational leaders, communications managers, and any CEO of a company, large or small.
- The main strategy is not to improvise.
- Not believe in illusions and not follow narcissistic behaviors.
- As some of us have seen lately.
An example. One thing many public figures should put aside is the prompt talk that no one could have predicted something like that, or “we’re just following the advice of the experts. “When a leader follows this style of communication, it creates more uncertainty and mistrust in the population.
In addition, we have also witnessed some exaggerated behavior followed by lines like “Isn’t this virus going to happen here?”Or “should we continue to live a normal life to stimulate the economy?”
Alexandr Lukashenko, president of Belarus, told his people that “it is better to die standing than on your knees. “López Obrador, president of Mexico, encouraged Mexicans to eat in restaurants. We could give dozens of examples of this kind of bad leadership that, as if it were another scourge, has spread around the world in recent weeks.
So let’s see what strategies should be implemented in a situation like the one we’re experiencing.
The current environment is a very fertile ground for uncertainty, anxiety and fear. All concerns are legitimate and understandable. All the anguish is respectable. Now, one thing every leader should be aware of is that the last thing he should do is create more confusion.
To be a good leader now, you need to know how to cross a minefield, no more, no less. It is to understand that a mischiding, mis-communication or any mistake, even if minimal, will cause earthquakes and unbalance the situation.
The impact of this setback can be severe, so it is critical to be aware of these pillars that should guide the action of any leader during the coronavirus crisis.
It doesn’t matter how serious the situation is. No matter that short- and long-term forecasts are also negative, whatever the scenario, a leader must communicate calmly and be fully honest with the message he conveys, temperance gives safety to the listener and, in a context of anguish, this attitude is valuable.
Besides, few things are as important as honesty at all times. Distorting data or resorting to lies is another time bomb that, in the end, also explodes.
If a leader divides the tasks his team must perform, he shows greater solvency and confidence. When all the decision-making and communication capacity lies with the leader himself, we have the example of authoritarian behavior that also tends to distrust and even hate This is not the best alternative.
The right leader is one of many who make up a team, this core must be made up of competent and essential people in strategic action to deal with any problem in the current context.
How a leader should act during the coronavirus crisis necessarily includes one key tool: good communication. And let us be clear, in the present circumstances, it is not easy, if this leader is too charismatic, it will generate mistrust, if it is too much. cold, will create fear and suspicion.
You have to find a middle ground to generate respect. This communication does not allow for flourishing, only clear and clear words in which there is no room for doubt or ambiguity.
Knowing how to give bad news and make alerts, combining all this with a breath of hope, certainly requires adequate emotional intelligence and assertiveness skills.
Narcissistic, authoritarian and exaggerated leadership has no place in a pandemic scenario, nor is it useful to have a critical leader, who likes to blame others, who only knows how to denounce the problems and mistakes of others, thus awakening chaos. We don’t need such leaders.
Right now, compassionate leadership is needed more than ever, able to connect with human pain, demonstrate people’s concern, seek to focus on answers to problems rather than looking for the culprits.
To understand how a leader should act during the coronavirus crisis, one aspect must be clear: any adversity requires action, so a fundamental strategy will be to activate resources and people, build bridges with other communities, with other regions and other countries. .
A good leader needs to know how to ask for and offer help, he must be open and create collaborative networks through which resources, ideas, information, etc. can circulate.
Every crisis requires daily progress. If there is no progress, something is wrong, so the leader and his team must monitor their progress, detect and resolve errors, anticipate risks, innovate and present alternatives every day, every second.
The one who doesn’t anticipate, improvises. Anyone who doesn’t prepare for the worst won’t even be able to react to small problems. Anticipating, preventing, developing, developing and planning strategies to respond to similar situations in the future is another moral and strategic obligation of any leader.
We need to be clear: there are many ways to respond to adversities like today’s pandemic, but the way a leader should act during the coronavirus crisis is crucial, he should leave nothing to chance or resort to improvisation. Today more than ever, what matters is humanity, not politics.