The promising leadership shifts ignited by a global crisis

Global crises have, through history, been a catalyst for change in the nature of work. Many of these shifts had positive and lasting impacts – think of how women’s central roles in the war effort in many countries during WWII enabled (some) women to enter the workforce permanently afterwards [1]. 

Likewise, today’s coronavirus crisis is having a profound impact on work. Some of the shifts currently made in many organisations are welcome ones, but it’s uncertain how long these changes will last after the pandemic is halted. Whilst there are many predictions about how COVID-19 will fundamentally change work [2,3], we know that behaviours are shaped by context and when that context shifts, often so do our actions. So how can we hang onto these beneficial changes and help leaders not to revert ‘back to normal’ once the crisis is over?

We’re hearing a number of human-centred shifts in leadership behaviours being made in response to the pandemic. These changes towards the positive force for good that leaders can deliver has many advantages for individuals, teams and communities. 

Individuals

What are we hearing?

The importance of considering mental health as well as physical health in employee wellbeing has been increasing in recent years. During the current pandemic, we’re hearing of companies who are offering more support by way of proactive self-care strategies, such as virtual exercise classes and ‘Time to Talk’ drop in sessions. Alongside this, some of our clients are increasing access to coaching support and wellbeing resources, acknowledging that it’s quite understandable for people to be struggling right now. 

Why does it matter?

There is a wealth of research that connects the psychological wellbeing of employees with increased productivity and other positive work-related outcomes [4]. Mental ill health in the UK costs business £1,300 annually per employee whose mental health needs are unsupported [5]. Moreover, it is estimated that for every £1 businesses spend on mental health support, employers gain a £5 ROI in decreased absenteeism, presenteeism and staff turnover [6].

Teams

What are we hearing?

Leading a remote workforce can be challenging, nonetheless, it is also creating the opportunity to strengthen leaders’ trust of their teams and inspire people differently. For example, one of our clients shared with us recently they have observed a decrease in command-and-control behaviours in leaders in their organisation and a move to more empowering leadership. Similarly, a Director we recently spoke to described his recent company-wide townhall from the CEO and CFO as the most engaging he’d ever seen, due to the more human broadcast from these leaders.  

Why does it matter?

Organisations with strong levels of trust have been found to be better able to respond to complexity and change [7]. Furthermore, increased charismatic messaging in leaders’ communications during times of crisis has been found to elicit strong motivating emotions in followers, leading to enhanced trust [8,9].

Communities 

What are we hearing?

CSR initiatives have long been included as part of an organisation’s mission, however, few businesses integrate such social and community service as a core part of their strategy. We’re hearing examples of businesses strengthening their support of their smaller customers who rely on them, rather than only attending to the biggest revenue-generators who have more robustness to weather the 2020 storm. Equally, many companies are pivoting to support charities through donations, financial or otherwise, or by giving employees more time in the working week to spend serving local communities.

Why does it matter?

Beyond the ‘well it’s the right thing to do’ argument, how can you convince even the most sceptical of stakeholders that prioritising social and community issues is commercially advantageous? Those companies that are more socially responsible are increasingly creating a competitive advantage against those who are not: research indicates 2/3rds of consumers’ purchasing impressions are influenced by the companies’ social responsibility, ethics and sustainability credentials [10]. Equally important to consider is the connection found between an organisation’s CSR strategies, employer branding and staff retention [11]. 

These shifts towards more human-centred leadership are encouraging, but risk being lost if businesses seek to return backwards rather than forwards to a new way of working. Fundamentally, behaviour change is difficult – a challenge well-known by anyone who’s not seen the expected shifts back in the business following a training or development programme. However, with deliberate and focused action, companies can take this as an opportunity to retain some of the positive leadership shifts that have developed from the crisis as we begin to re-emerge.