The Pandemic has severely impacted the world economy, touching every sphere of our lives. There is simply no part of our lives that has not been affected. For students, professionals, businesses – life has changed enormously and nothing can ever be the same again – ever. For millions of people across the world, both personal and professional lives have been impacted and there’s no end in sight yet. Economies have been ruined, businesses are struggling to cope and the future is very uncertain – as governments and businesses try to cope. For businesses, this is a major issue to resolve and this is where leaders will need to step in to address the problems on hand.
As the new normal becomes mainstream, true leaders come into their own…they create order out of chaos, soothe people’s nerves and help to take things forward.
Let’s look at tactics leaders apply to keep teams motivated in the new normal:
Staying Positive
Leaders need to be firm, focused and visible right from the word go – because the team will take its cues from you. It is crucial for the leader to exude a can-do and its possible air – staying positive. Because that will give off good vibes. The team needs inspiration and that has to come from you the leader. Staying calm, collected and positive is going to be difficult but you cannot yield to pressure especially in the new normal. The intention pushed a compliance firm LegalWiz.in to start with a partners platform, offering SMEs to leverage Instamojo deals and start accepting online payments.
Even if the future is uncertain and problems are there, your team needs to see you in a totally positive, confident, and target-focused mode.
Encourage people to voice their views
It is difficult for organizations and businesses to cope with the changes that have taken place. As of now, no one has the immediately workable solutions or bandwidth required to deal with these circumstances. Instead, this is the time to be grateful and not to blame yourself or anyone – remember, you have a team of talented, skilled people. Definitely, now is the perfect time to speak to encourage them to open up and share their thoughts, ideas, solutions – there is a possibility that you may be surprised. In this manner you can share the ownership, build team-spirit and most importantly, the responsibility of keeping the organization going. Normally you by yourself would have taken a single approach – but by inviting ideas from everyone you are giving the business a diverse set of solutions.
Share your plan
It is the basic nature of a team experiencing uncertainty to look up to the leader, seeking a way out. This is the exact situation in the new normal – leaders are having to run harder to stay in the same place. Now is the time when true leadership shows it’s mettle – propose a plan to deal with the situation, overcome the odds and ensure business continuity. It is essential to get every team member committed to the outcome – as you share the plan with the team, you will also need to tell everyone their tasks and what every small milestone will do in terms of achieving the goal. You may find that some persons have a different opinions, or questions – be prepared for this and address it, so everyone is on the same page. The key to this problem is total transparency – lay out the plan in such detail that everyone understands and trusts you to deliver.
Concentrate on being Flexible and Agile
These are demanding times and it is logical that sticking rigidly to one single strategy or plan may not yield result. You may need to be flexible in your approach in these times of uncertainty. Hence it best to approach with a good plan in mind but being prepared to staying agile and react proactively by infusing flexibility. It is possible that you may have a great plan but some unforeseen issue may need you to recast your plan. If so, then you will have to immediately change your plan or rework it to factor in the new development. Hence you will need to be ready to adapt to the changed situation.
Communication is crucial
A crisis needs one thing above all – the leader to communicate frankly and directly with his team. In the new normal, when business continuity is to be ensured, there is no time to sugar-coat words or beat round the bush. Maintain your credibility – avoid diluting the message. Speak clearly, simply and tell it like it is, even if the truth is hard to accept. It is vital that your team is on the same page – they should know everything you do. Most importantly, contrary to popular belief, withholding information will prove more harmful. It is best to remain frank and communicative all through – the team will trust you more, give you their suggestions and feedback which can also help in fine-tuning the plan.
Conclusion:
During times of uncertainty and crisis, leadership is highly challenging. It is prudent not to try and resolve everything alone – adopting an open, inclusive and supportive mindset will help get all the support required from a motivated and engaged team.
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