The COVID-19 Pandemic was a Ph.D. Level intensive course on leading through anxious times. Much of what we were learning was real time, build-it-as-you-fly-it type of knowledge. With changing governmental regulations and medical guidance, as well as diminishing product availability, there was plenty to concern our minds. What distinguished the companies who thrived during COVID from those who didn’t? In many ways, how an organization’s leaders were able to remain a non-anxious presence. Here are four ways that we saw thriving companies lead that have lasting lessons for us today.
- Humanity above all else. The companies who thrived in COVID realized that their employees are humans first. They acknowledged the rising anxiety produced by fear of infection, an unknown economic future, childcare for children who no longer had daycare or school, and the list goes on and on. Not only did they acknowledge it, they responded empathetically, provided counseling, guaranteeing income, providing childcare, and allowing employees to work from home.
- Calm over calamity. Strong leaders choose to remain calm. They don’t allow speculation and gossip to take over their emotions and thinking. To be clear, this didn’t prevent them from making contingency plans during COVID based upon what the data and non-anxious experts were suggesting, but it did prevent it from being done in a manic way. Strong leaders maintained a calm center amidst the chaos going on around them. They did this through good habits that grounded their leadership. Their non-anxious presence, much like in parenting, was identified and mirrored back to them.
- Clarity over confusion. The best leaders communicate with clarity. They wisely discern what information is needed, and provide that to all key stakeholders. In areas where they don’t know the answer, they acknowledge that. Strong leaders understand that in the absence of clear communication, humans will create stories to fill in the empty space and they will accept those narratives as real. This is why strong leaders proactively scheduled Zoom meetings in COVID to provide regular updates—to prevent confusion and speculation.
- Purpose over profit. In anxious times, people and organizations are going through a stress test. It challenges their most deeply-held convictions, and the organization gets to decide, if in their most difficult moments, they truly hold to those values in word and deed. One organization I worked with valued their site leaders so much that they guaranteed their income, in some cases at higher levels than they were earning, to remain committed to their value that strong leadership teams build healthy sites. Employees were watching, and those organizations who emerged from their battle-testing faithful to their purpose, were able to retain their employees and continue on.
While it may not be another global pandemic, organizational leaders know that other anxious moments will arise. It is critical to remember that we are dealing with human beings. We must choose and model calm, communicating clearly and frequently. Lastly, we must prove our organizational purpose and value system to be true, if we are not only to survive, but to thrive.