Like everything else in the post-pandemic world, leadership will be different moving forward. Use these seven keys to master true leadership in times of uncertainty:
- Use visioning to see what others don’t. This requires the ability to integrate fast-changing variables, the capacity to anticipate with your eyes closed, and the desire to integrate the collective intelligence of others to identify and cultivate bright spots in dark times.
- Use conversations to connect with others. This may sound obvious, but it can be hard to find time to sit down and have meaningful conversations in stressful times. Slow down, talk and listen, and use these opportunities to build mutual trust and relationships.
- Listen empathetically. Realize that true listening involves genuinely wanting to understand what the other person is talking about and feeling.
- Stories are powerful. They shift the way we feel, act, and think; and they break down barriers and arouse our passions.
- Capture hearts and minds. Understand your team’s expectations and their personal and professional agendas to create a blueprint to inform conversations and build stories.
- Bring light, energy, and safety to the forefront. Mobilize and engage people and manage their energy in a sustainable way.
- Simplification is a choice, but it’s harder than you may thing. It’s the leader’s responsibility to advocate for simplicity and work to make complex things simple.
