“In the midst of a crisis, strong leadership emerges.  Average leadership is exposed.“ – Michael Corley

The coronavirus is an opportune time to observe the differences in leadership.  Are you watching?  (You do know your people are watching you, right?)

  • Strong leaders communicate quickly, frequently, concisely and clearly.
  • Effective leaders understand how to execute, and they understand the limitations of the same.
I.  Communicate…communicate…communicate with your team.   You must control the narrative or the narrative will control you and your team.
    • Quickly – acknowledge the situation with the people you lead. (Hopefully you have already done this regarding coronavirus.) Inform them you are actively monitoring the situation, and you are committed to keeping them informed of how this will impact their work.
    • Frequently – don’t go silent.  Provide regular updates in both writing (email) and in person (teleconference, walking around if appropriate).  This let’s your team know you are concerned, in charge, on top of it, and taking action as needed.
    • Concisely – Not every communication needs to be expansive.  Keep to the point and address those items in which you have accurate knowledge.  This said, do allow for Q&A time.  This gives your people an opportunity to engage, and this is critically important during a crisis.
    • Clearly – Your messages should be direct and easy to understand.  (Have someone review your message before you deliver it.)  You do not want people to misinterpret what you are saying due to a lack of clarity.  PEOPLE WILL FILL the void with their own messaging if you leave a void.

II.  Execute.  Work with the leadership team to make decisions and to take action.  Be sure to understand what you can do and what you can not do, and then communicate as noted above.

    • Can Do – Working from home, responding to customers, closing meeting places….each of these decisions and actions require understanding, planning, contingency planning and a communications strategy.  Don’t “wing it.”
    • Can’t Do – DO NOT PROMISE or suggest something to your team members which can not be executed.  I am watching too many leaders make statements which are just not realistic, and this is killing their credibility.  Protect your credibility by being thoughtful in what can be done and being candid if something can not be done.

None of your team members expects you to have all of the answers …. right away.  However, they do expect, want and need you to grow into your understanding of the situation, communicate frequently, sympathize/empathize with them, make decisions, and then take action.