During a pandemic, we can hardly run away from anxiety. Leaders feel that the chances of failure are higher and tend to adopt command and control leadership. Such leadership style is characterized by unrealistic targets, tight schedules, rigid budgets, and exaggerated promises.
During a crisis of uncertainty and deep ambiguity, leaders should demonstrate a strong sense of meaning. Leaders can’t impose a sense of meaning by micromanaging employees. They can only play their role effectively by becoming activists who convene people to explore and define the meaning as a team.
For an organization to succeed, whether in good or bad times, leaders must define its purpose. Finding the meaning narrows down to “What are we here for.” Focusing on this question is more important during volatile times because a change of strategy must be initiated. The past viable strategies can lose meaning overnight, like it’s evident for business owners of movie theaters, travel businesses, and gyms.
During times of uncertainty, leaders should focus less on maintaining the status quo and put more effort into building a newly envisioned future. It converges to finding a sense of purpose. Yes, we are in a pandemic, but how can leaders make customers continue relying on their organization for products and services.
A significant number of creative leaders know that the purpose is to continue serving their customers, no matter what it takes. For a business to survive during these devastating times, businesses need to cling to realistic hope. The leaders should lead with the courage to discover how their businesses can empower the community during their point of need.
Thanks to technology’s birth, it has enabled numerous businesses worldwide to continue operating amid the pandemic. Some CEOs have championed a quick shift of operations to provide products and services on higher demand during the crisis.
The legitimate purpose has been developed because people have contributed to it. Instead of holding old plans tightly, employees and customers are motivated by the opportunity to grow in scope, size, and influence.
Listening to customers and stakeholders can break the ice of the status quo. According to a renowned entrepreneur, a healthy business can’t thrive in an ailing society. That means a business must contribute to empowering society to sell.