Today, to save lives, we’re being asked to practice physical distancing to the extreme. Shelter in place and self-quarantine are not normal activities and are challenging our personal needs, beliefs and behaviors by placing us in very uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations. And it’s this same uncomfortableness and unfamiliarity in organizational beliefs and practices that just might save our companies.
General Stanley McChrystal wrote an interesting article recently in the New York Times that suggests leaders let go of their beliefs and needs around communication and control. In What 9/11 Taught Us About Leadership in a Crisis he outlines 4 actions that leaders need to do to help their organizations and frankly, what it boils down to is creating a more social organization… if only temporarily.
don’t hunker down
Visibility is critical. McChrystal speaks in terms of being calm in the face of adversity but it’s about being visible in deed as well as presence. People need to know that action is taking place because it is, even if it’s not the typical “release when all the boxes are checked” or the carefully crafted, edited and perfectly punctuated communique. The time now is to keep people in the know. We all need to make our thoughts, work and ideas visible today. The conversation that emerges could spring forth new ideas that could lead to powerful solutions when needed most.
demonstrate candor
Employees are adults, not your kids. Furthermore, they can see pretty quickly when the effort to pacify conflicts with reality. It’s OK and actually welcomed to be perfectly frank or as McChrystal notes, “Today’s leaders must be honest with their people to a level that will and should feel uncomfortable.” And they need to encourage everyone to not just keep their heads down and work as always. It’s time that everyone, of every level, ask for help, show their work, share their knowledge, ask challenging questions and toss “stupid” idea out there without fear.
give up more authority
“Control is for amateurs,”says Rachel Happe. This is no time to go solo or insular. Father knows best and mama bear philosophies in an unprecedented crisis are foolish. Leadership hired talented people, it’s time to tap into them. Most of the workforce is far, far closer to the customers and clients than leadership is. Accept that they have the best way to take the temperature continually and open up communication to this information flows. Additionally, the authority must flow up and down and down and up and across. Hierarchy has no place when its all hands on deck. Let those who know best take leadership in their space.
be more compassionate
Workers, who never were remote working, now are. But that’s a fraction of everyone’s anxiety. They fear for their health, their family’s health, the economy, their job, their security, and all the while managing a disrupted household. Lending a sympathetic ear and sharing understanding words is important because strong leaders connect with people at an emotional level but also remember that ALL conversations in a business ARE business conversations. People need to talk and be heard, acknowledged and not just about work. It’s these non-work conversations that build relationships that ultimately benefit the work because people work well with people they like not just those they respect or think they should respect.
The openness, the transparency, the honestly and the trust by leaders who follow this advice is a huge opportunity to jump-start a more social organization long-term, one that is cooperative, collaborative and conversational. To go back to the status quo after this ends (and it will end) is a missed opportunity. These new beliefs and behaviors being modeled won’t remain however if they don’t take steps to modify the work systems in play; management, recognition, communication, decision-making, knowledge management, etc. The businesses that change their design in these areas to encourage sustained connection will position themselves to thrive next time (and there will be a next time).
