A pandemic is an equalizer. Whatever your industry, location, product or service, tenure of your employees, size of your company, whether you are facing the flames of increased demand or a desert drought, you, your spouse, family members and friends are all impacted.

How can you best lead in this ever-changing and often frightening environment? 

Follow the example of healthcare workers around the globe. Physicians, nurses and healthcare workers bear some of the heaviest loads across the planet.

Physicians in Europe have been faced with some of the most difficult decisions and most emotional days of their careers. Yet if you have heard any of them speak, or read or listened to their comments, you understand that they were grounded in calm, while in the eye of the storm. Their clarity of purpose is, in many cases, a vocation. They used that as their north star.

Strip away the layers and identify for yourself, “What is my underlying purpose? Why did I select this (leadership) role? How can I best serve my staff, customers and shareholders today and this week?”

Communicate, communicate, communicate.

If your employees are providing an essential service, their anxiety and stress may be high, both from work demands and fear of contracting the virus.

Here are some tips on communication. 

Publicly recognize employee contributions: When the CEO is publicly recognizing employee contributions, employees are feeling more highly appreciated and valued than in organizations where the CEO is only providing recognition internally. This is an important distinction. When this situation ends, as we know it will, you will be best served by retaining your best performers. How you treat them now will have a bearing on their employment decisions in 2021.

Communicate something positive: Communicate something positive to all employees at least once per week. Share a story of an act of kindness. Report on businesses reopening in Wuhan. Share an inspiring quote. Recognize someone’s contribution. Share the good news that someone has recovered from the virus.

Your leadership matters now more than ever; you know that. Don’t lose sight of how meaningful your contribution is right now.

My clients accelerate their results – increasing profitability, leadership performance, innovation, and accountability. I would love to discuss how I might support your success. Contact me today.

Elevate your leadership performance by learning from some of the best. Pick up a copy of my book, The 360 Degree CEO: Generating Profits While Leading and Living with Passion and Principles available on Amazon.

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© 2020 Lorraine A. Moore. All rights reserved. Permission granted to excerpt or reprint with attribution.