Leading Through a Pandemic – Exploring What it Takes to Lead Through Uncertainty

The COVID-19 pandemic is transforming the way businesses operate, and this is happening almost overnight. The challenges to businesses are very evident. What is not so apparent are the opportunities which it also brings. One such opportunity is the honing of crisis management skills.

Crisis often highlights weaknesses in an organisation. Not just in the processes and policies but also in the ability of managers to navigate the many obstacles thrown at them. It forces us to become agile and to execute on tasks and make decisions that would have otherwise taken months if not years. How well this is done can determine if the business survives or not.

Overcommunicate  – Effective communication is critical when dealing with a crisis. It is certainly not time to panic. In the current instance, there is not much one can do about the pandemic except learning as much about it, try to avoid contamination, share information with your team and let them know what actions will be taken by the business to get through it. It is a time when the volume of communication will be huge, but it’s best to over-communicate than communicate too little. We can’t take it for granted that everyone knows what is going on. Messages should be practical but encouraging and most importantly, must be timely. Employees need to feel confident that things are under control as much as possible and that their welfare is also top of mind. After all, they are also personally affected by the crisis.

Act Decisively – Make sound and timely decisions, and execute quickly. Be prepared to make mistakes. Remember, it is a crisis because it is unexpected, and you are not ready. Coping with crises is more about having the right attitude rather than having a specific plan. If you have a plan great, even with a Business Continuity Plan very few companies or persons are prepared for COVID-19 and its impact, so now that it is here, move quickly to implement initiatives to minimise its impact on the company and your personal lives.

Work Together – Management and employees must work together to keep the business going. It is easy to get sidetracked when dealing with a crisis that affects both your personal and professional life. For this reason, actions and communication must be balanced and both taken into account. With most persons working remotely, we must keep in constant touch with each other to maintain the synergy and ensure productivity is maintained.

Focus on your customers – The focus must be on the customers, modifying processes as necessary to facilitate them and positioning the business to get back into high gear when the crisis passes. Communicate with customers and share how you will continue to support them during the period of the crisis. Continue to serve them as best as possible while being sensitive to what they may also be experiencing.

Seize the change management opportunities – Different levels of change management opportunities will start to unfold, and it is an opportune time to reposition the organisation’s short, medium and long-term goals. It presents a golden opportunity to “right set” the organisation, consolidating jobs and adjusting management styles. Some of these are uncomfortable decisions for the company to take but may be very necessary to not only survive the crisis but to have a full recovery and become more efficient.

Make use of excess capacity/resources – During a crisis, businesses sometimes slow down, and priorities get shifted, so use this newfound time and or resources wisely.  Pull out those projects and deliverables which got shelved but which are still relevant and work on them. Encourage employees to take any excess vacation that they have to relax and spend time with family.

Have a Bounce Back Plan – Most importantly have a plan to bounce back after the crisis. Ensure that there are clearly defined business strategies, marketing and communication plan to help the company recover quickly in the post-crisis period. The quicker this is executed, the better the chances of a full recovery. We must all agree that it is highly unlikely things will go back to the way it was once the crisis passes.

Learn the lessons – Be sure to review how the crisis affected the company and ensure that the company is better positioned to execute a timely response when future emergencies arise. Use the period after a crisis to reflect and learn from what happened both personally and professionally and to be better prepare for the next crisis. Develop standard protocols to help the organisation manage a future crisis. Mistakes will be made but what counts is how you recover from them. Hopefully, it will be with a sound strategic crisis management plan.

Celebrate the survival. The crisis will take its toll on us mentally, physically and financially. Crisis also tends to bring individuals together. It strengthens us and gives us the confidence to face the next disaster, thus transforming us and transforming businesses. So, when the crisis passes, let us take some time to celebrate the survival and to celebrate each other.