In my work last year, I saw executives struggle to adapt their leadership to more effectively address the challenges their organizations were facing. While many arrived in 2021 in good shape — even if a little worse for wear — they still have big questions on their minds:
What now? How do we lead our organizations and teams going forward?
These are not easy questions to answer because leaders need to strike a balance between demonstrating confidence and recognizing they have imperfect and incomplete information. They want to involve key stakeholders in the process of figuring out next steps, but they worry it will reveal to their team just how much they're operating in the dark. Ultimately, destroying their team's trust in their leadership, as well as internal commitment to the plan.
Deloitte outlines three phases of a crisis that apply to our current world and help leaders adapt their behavior and strategies to meet the moment and prevent loss of confidence. The three phases are:
Most organizations are now out of the Respond phase. The acute crisis is behind them and they're determining what’s next. Although there's growing awareness that 2021 is going to be a year of recovery as organizations find their footing, we're not there yet — and 2021 can’t just be a placeholder. Leaders need to take deliberate action to prepare for the next normal.
My clients are in the Recover phase. They're finding order and each day feels more certain and comfortable than the last. But while they're no longer managing daily crises, they also don’t have a clear picture of what the next normal will entail.
They needed a different way of being as leaders during this period and here's what it looks like:
They are thinking differently. They started by harvesting the things they learned during the crisis to see what they can apply now and what they can adopt for the future. They are also continuing to innovate. In fact, no one is talking about going back to the way things were done in 2019.
They are acting differently. After 2020, many of my clients adjusted their risk tolerance and are now taking a more conservative approach to their organizations. This approach will serve them well as they conserve resources and determine next steps and investments. Many are also leading with great empathy. They know how difficult the past year has been and are focused on increasing the well-being of their teams.
They are interacting differently. My clients are once again focused on setting 12-month action plans that include clear goals and objectives to guide them in the right direction. In other words, they're focused on the near-term to ensure they're well positioned for the long-term. This isn’t guess work. They're basing their plans on data and information, as well as creating formal and informal mechanisms to collect, share and analyze knowledge to inform decision making.
The Thrive phase?
Clearly, being an organizational leader is not for the faint of heart. After all, most organizations have not yet entered the Thrive phase and it's going to take time. However, if you're willing to lead differently right now, you’ll be as prepared as you possibly can be to thrive once the dust finally settles.
