Swapnil Kamat speaks about the 7Cs of Leadership through a two-part series in a pandemic affected world
[Part I]
With the coronavirus pandemic instilling fear among the masses and countries and businesses around the globe facing an economic slowdown, what becomes paramount to ensure organizational and communal strength in a time like this, is effective leadership.
Becoming an effective leader is a continuous process, for no one is a born leader. It requires a great deal of introspection, vision, a willingness to learn and an ability to transform potential into reality through sound execution. If you are in a leadership position, you want to have the right answers and take the right decisions, but these past few months have plunged most of us into situations that are devoid of clarity.
By the end of this two part article, you will acquire a better understanding of what is it that makes some leaders stand out even in the face of adversity, and how perhaps you too stand a chance of leading a top performing team in the post pandemic world.
1. Competence & Credibility
In a crisis economy, people will look to their leaders for guidance, which is why being competent is crucial for anyone in a leadership position. Your behaviour, skills and proactive efforts will be assessed before concluding whether you as a leader deserve the respect your position demands. Be sure to instil confidence, provide your team with credible information and hope in these unsettling times. If you are unable to prove your credibility, then your team will lose trust in you for they won’t see a figure worthy of being guided by. You must step up and put in continuous efforts to prove yourself and earn their trust and respect.
This is how you can breeze through this pandemic:
• Make feedback a two-way street. Ask for feedback and try to introspect on how you can become better at leading your team. Nurture an environment in which your employees feel they can share their views with you.
• Assign tasks and create exciting opportunities for your team to learn and grow whilst keeping their strengths in mind. Make sure they enjoy what they’re doing and aren’t becoming robotic.
• Sign up for online courses that will help you become a more competent leader. Pick up one of the many leadership bestsellers and start reading, because becoming a good leader is a process and cannot be achieved overnight.
• Demonstrate behaviour that you want to see in your team. Your attitude and actions are observed whether or not you know, so always be conscious that you’re being looked up to.
• Stay true to your word because people appreciate integrity and lose respect if promises aren’t kept.
2. Care & Connect
Everyone is grappling with different personal circumstances right now in isolation. As a leader you must show your team that you care for them. Once you start caring, you will naturally be sensitized and delegate well. Do a virtual town hall where you can talk to your team about what is their driving force or what problems they may be facing with the current work from home situation.
Be empathetic and ask them how they are doing and how you can support them. People are more responsive to those who are genuinely interested in them. Build a rapport with them to find out their strengths and weaknesses and use that information to focus on their development. This will also encourage them to approach you without any hesitation and make you their go-to person.
Celebrate their little wins and don’t criticize them if they fail. Instead, give constructive feedback to help them stand on their feet again. Working remotely means you have to be more conscious and proactive while offering feedback. Keep it continuous so they know how they are faring. All of this will keep them motivated throughout the pandemic and help foster a healthy and positive work relationship.
3. Confidence& Courage
It is important you recognize the current situation for what it is – a crisis that requires strong team effort and working together to draw a solution. But this can only be achieved if you have a self-assured, decisive, unfazed and a confident leader at the forefront. This is one quality that distinguishes good leaders from great leaders.
Exude confidence in the team and don’t doubt them. For instance, if an employee is working from home, trust that the work they’re given will be done. You don’t need to ask for an hour-on-hour report. It can be frustrating for the employee and they, in turn, will distrust you for being a micromanager. Besides no one has ever liked being led by a spineless leader who crumbles down in demanding situations.
A leader must be able to trust, take risks, ask questions, clear doubts and be inventive and innovative in their approach. This will help your team gain the courage and confidence necessary to cope with the new normal
(The next 4 C’s will be elaborated on in part 2 of this two-part series)
