The Four Pillars Of Effective Workplace Leadership For A Post-Pandemic World
Remote working has increased the distance between employees and their superiors while also blurring the lines of work-life balance for all of us. Yet, although this distance has created some negative side effects of isolation and uncertainty, the joys of a workplace reimagined are absolutely upon us. If adapting your leadership style in a foreseeable post-pandemic world isn’t already at the top of your priority list, it’s time to think about the future of your leadership.
When employees return to the office, extraordinary leaders will be more important than ever to help focus on meaningful reentry initiatives. But that doesn’t mean you need to be anxious and stressed about getting your leadership style perfect for the “new normal.” Lessons we’ve learned during this season will serve as the foundation for all future change. So, let’s examine four practical yet straightforward pillars to help you adapt to the changing landscape.
1. Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is perhaps the most fundamental pillar of all. How can you expect to be transparent, a good listener or enact an effective vision in your workplace if you can’t understand and respond to emotions appropriately?
Yet, emotional intelligence is a term that gets thrown around a lot and misunderstood. Many people view it solely as having empathy, good communication or an awareness of the feelings and reactions of others. While this is certainly one aspect of EQ, it’s not the full story.
People who have a high EQ are also hyperaware of their own emotions and can regulate them effectively. They might anticipate in advance that scheduling an important presentation on the day of their child’s exam results will send their stress levels through the roof and adversely affect the rest of their team, so they move the date. Or maybe they realize that they let their ego get the better of them in a meeting when they lashed out unfairly at a colleague who doubted their knowledge, so they have the humility to apologize afterward.
That’s right — to lead other people effectively, you need to look after yourself first. The less burned out, stressed and angry you are, the more energy you have to direct outward. Plus, your team will learn from your good example.
2. Transparency
We all learned to live with uncertainty during the pandemic, whether that was uncertainty regarding an upcoming vacation or our jobs. If you’re a leader, you probably feel you bore a larger burden than most — you didn’t just have your own financial situation to worry about but also the livelihoods of your entire team. Knowing the truth about a company’s outlook can be both a blessing and a curse.
How did you react to this responsibility? It might have been tempting to keep your team “blissfully ignorant” of any upcoming layoffs or economic struggles, but that’s rarely, if ever, a good strategy. Your team aren’t children — they’re adults that take pride in what they do and may have children of their own. They deserve the truth about their future and the company itself, and you might be surprised at how well they can handle it.
Still, this doesn’t mean that you need to “overshare” — you could give your teams a heads-up that layoffs will be taking place soon, but you don’t have to announce exactly who and when.
This can be a fine line to tread, so reflect on your approach regularly and have a careful think about what you’re going to say before you let it leave your mouth. Oh, and err on the side of caution if you’re in any doubt.
3. Listening
If you’ve ever dabbled in the world of sales, you’ve probably heard the advice to focus on listening rather than speaking to really win over your prospects. It’s a lesson that applies to the rest of the business world (and maybe even your personal life).
To avoid these types of conflicts, practice active listening: listening with your entire body rather than just your ears. Instead of simply hearing what someone else is saying, you should be fully tuned in to their body language, reading between the lines and putting what they say into context.
A common mistake is to predict what someone will say before they even open their mouth, tune in only to the parts of their speech that match your existing assumptions and prepare your response before they’ve finished. This isn’t listening! Instead, get into the habit of assuming the other person knows something you don’t.
Seek to understand why they think or feel the way they do instead of proving them wrong. You’ll gain respect from your team, and you might just learn something.
4. Vision
We don’t call it a “new normal” for nothing. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all template for what each business is going to look like. So, you’ll need to craft your own vision.
Start putting some time aside every week to visualize what kind of business you want to run and the experience you want your customers and team to have. Will you target the same customers? Do you want a team that’s working remotely from across the globe? Will your product line need to change? How do you want to connect with your audience?
Of course, this doesn’t mean setting a rigid plan — be prepared to pivot when reality hits.
Now you know the four pillars required to hold your business up in a post-pandemic world, it’s time to start building your temple. Lay your foundation by working on your emotional intelligence, and use this to become more transparent, improve your listening skills and develop a vision to center the way you work all around. Together with your team, you might just be surprised at what you can build.