It seems like only yesterday that everything was ‘business as usual’ and our lives were safe and comfortable. Then suddenly we were faced with an invisible enemy: the coronavirus. In the chaos and confusion of a crisis such as this one, it’s important that leaders are able to step up to the challenge and inspire people to find their strength.
A crisis is a strong trigger for the irrational part of our brain. We witness the response of those around us and follow the herd. When confusion and uncertainty rule, social pressure grows stronger and stronger. The ‘room on fire’ example is a clear illustration: research has shown that many people won’t leave a room on fire when the majority decides to stay put. The panic buying of recent weeks is another example. Once a first wave of people started piling up products in their shopping carts, others followed. This way, panic buying became a self-fulfilling prophecy. People flocked to their supermarkets, where shelves were soon left empty. And as retailers struggled to restock, the panic continued to spread.
Provide a sense of security and tap into strength
A variety of studies have shown that in times of crisis, leaders tend to tighten the reins and reclaim responsibilities. They may show more controlling behaviour and leave less room for self-direction. Any tendency towards more bottom-up and empowering leadership styles may be the first thing to go out the window. In fact, in the initial stage of a crisis this type of decisiveness is just what we want to see from our leaders. The coronavirus is having a disruptive impact on the entire organization and there is simply too much that is unclear and uncertain. When will we be back to business as usual? How to deal with projects that simply cannot suffer delays? The virus has pushed us straight into the so-called storming phase.
The parameters have changed and we need to find our way in a wholly new and as yet undefined environment. We need to recalibrate our style of working and collaborating, and we look to our leaders to set out a course. New goals need to be clearly communicated, along with the arguments behind them. We want to restore people’s sense of security. By facing our fears and taking action, we can transform fear into a force for the positive. We will see the courage, ownership and creativity that can enable us to steer the organization through troubled waters, under the helmsmanship of a competent leader.
Seizing opportunities
This is not an era of change, but a change of era. And as Darwin observed, the species that survives change is not the one that is the strongest or the most intelligent, but the one that is able to adapt to a new environment. The same is true for organizations. Once the storming phase is over and all the new questions have been answered, new strengths will manifest in alternative ways of working and brand-new solutions. Take restaurants, for instance, where chefs are preparing meals that aren’t served up by waiters, but delivered to people’s homes. Online services are given a massive boost, and many are pleasantly surprised to see that working from home is a serious option after all. To many elderly people, the risk of social isolation turns into an incentive to learn how to use online media. Now they can stay in touch with their grandchildren. And we’re finding that even fitness classes and mental health care can be moved onto online platforms.
Inspirational leadership
The lesson to be learned from all of this is that people are resilient and we are able to quickly adapt to changing circumstances. Show your employees the trust they deserve. If you don’t, and are unable to give up control, you will spark the fear response in their brains and they may go into fight or flight mode. In order to get through this crisis, you want people to tap into their creativity and their ability to innovate. To take ownership and come up with new ways to organize processes and utilize digital tools. Are our systems still up for the demands of our time? Can we see opportunities for change? In this respect, our current situation is a perfect match for the transition that was already happening. Things are just going faster. Organizations will be able to come out stronger of this, so long as they are led by competent leaders who can instil the appropriate emotional and practical mindset.
Would you like to know more?
We are happy to join you in this process. Call us at +31 (0) 70 346 92 05 for more information and relevant references. And of course you can also get in touch by e-mail: info@h-c.nl.