Leaders across the country and around the globe are tackling some of the biggest challenges in history at a pace that has never been seen before. What will it take to succeed? Decisiveness, strength and softness, too.
The pandemic isn’t over yet. We have months, maybe even years, of hard work ahead of us to rebuild the systems that drove our economy for over a decade. Rebuilding from the economic setbacks of spring 2020 would be daunting in normal times, but leaders today are trying to right the ship in angry seas, often without a compass. What qualities are necessary to get from today to tomorrow, from September 2020 to January 2022? We have a long ways to go, but there are some specific characteristics that will help you weather the storm.
Be Soft. First and foremost, empathy matters. All of the emotions, anxiety, and stress you feel about the success and future of your business is no doubt shared by your team. Like you, those fears are layered on top of concern about the health and safety of their friends and family. Those fears are made even more striking by uncertainty and instability. As a leader, don’t add to those difficulties with harsh words, volatile reactions, or unforgiving deadlines. Right now, we will all need to find something like a perfect balance between urgency and compassion, and that balance may be different from day to day, department to department, and even employee to employee.
Goose And Go. In football, there’s an old play called a ‘goose and go’. As the quarterback lines up under center, he may see a gap in front of the offense that’s wide open. Almost instinctively, he’ll make a non-verbal signal to the center to snap the ball. Most often, the quick dive forward offers up just a few yards, but it’s often run on those critical short yardage downs that you need to convert to keep a drive alive.
We’re all in the same boat. Like a quarterback, you’re acting on imperfect information and a gut feeling to pick up a few yards and grab a fresh set of downs. You’re also relying on being on the same page as your team, counting on the center to know what to do and snap the ball immediately. Being decisive and reacting to changing and even conflicting data with an educated and measured best guess is exactly what leaders need to do to keep the company running.
Be Five Moves Ahead. While inching forward one yard at a time may seem like a recommendation to focus on short term goals, it’s not. Leaders also need to have a longer term goal in mind, even in a crisis. As Rahm Emmanual once said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” Market and industry disruptions, even societal upheavals, aren’t the time to stick to the old blueprint. Imagine what these current forces will do to the next five or even tens years, and place your company on that same change curve. That may mean restructuring your supply chain, shifting resources to a different sector, or starting a service or product that’s completely new. Be committed to the long term but take it one move at a time to get there.
Triage. Problems are going to come up. In a crisis, being able to effectively and intelligently measure risk to establish priorities helps to make the most of your reaction. In a sense, every challenge should fit into a scale of triage within your organization. Don’t just determine what needs to happen right now, either. It’s also important to identify who is best prepared to handle it and what they’ll need to resolve the issue. A spoiler alert: if the answer to who should take on each and every challenge is you, you’re not a hero. Leaders are responsible for having a capable team. If you’re the best, smartest, more capable person in the room, you may have already failed.
Need someone to bounce ideas off of? Contact Trinitas Advisors and let’s grow stronger together.