The days of in-person cocktail parties, lunches, coffees, or association gatherings are distant memories. While it may be a while before we again break bread with clients or colleagues, you can still nurture your network virtually.
Some people are reluctant to stay in touch, concerned that they may hear some bad news, creating an ackward moment for someone. You won’t know if you don’t ask. And the longer you wait to reach out, the harder it will become.
Many managers – especially inexperienced ones – suffer from resistance to delegation. They often declare that it’s easier to do it themselves than to ask someone less experienced to handle it.
The challenge is, of course, that if you don’t delegate, you’ll suffer from perennial mountains of work and your “delegatees” will never get the experience.
A recent Gallup article discussed ways that companies can continue employee development in spite of tighter budgets. Among the many good points raised, the author emphasizes that leaders could focus on the development of behavioral skills that are key to high performance.
Some leaders express frustration over the need to consider employee development when there are so many “more pressing” issues to consider. This is short sighted.
The answer to this question requires action! Reflect on the conversations you’ve had recently with your clients or customers. Do you really know what’s on their minds, or are you making assumptions?
Often, we project our opinions onto our clients. If we are struggling with COVID related problem X, we assume that our clients are also struggling with the same problem.
Creativity is so important for businesses, now more than ever during the pandemic. Leaders who have taken the position of “we’ve always done it this way” have found themselves in dire conditions. Revenue that plummeted is taking far longer than ever imagined to return.
Most companies that find themselves in this situation have made at least some efforts to modify how they do business to generate new sources of revenue. But small changes aren’t enough to keep troubled companies in business for the long term.
As the reopening continues, leaders are once again facing new situations. The “current normal” (I don’t want to call it the “new normal”) is about making do with less. Fewer people are doing the work of many. Expenses are under scrutiny.
Leaders have been inevitably stressed with the myriad difficult decisions that have been made in the past several months. But it’s important to remember that everyone is stressed.
Although parts of the U.S. are reopening and people are slowly returning to places of business, many companies are still operating remotely and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
The changes in the business environment have been exceedingly challenging for all leaders, and you should feel great about keeping things together as much as you have during the past three months.
Most of you are still leading remotely with your staff also working remotely, sometimes even with a skeleton crew in your place of work. Although we have become more accustomed to this after two months, it still feels surreal, doesn’t it?
I know you have been working tirelessly to keep everything together at your company. The new rules of work are changing all the time, so you’re reacting as the environment morphs.
What changes would you like to see in your team when you transition from sheltering at home and begin to return to the workplace? This is a great time to rethink higher standards and to articulate those expectations to your staff.
Here are some extremes to observe from the past six weeks or so. When working remotely, have your people:
Everyone is going through an indescribably rough period with no end in sight. In general, as the weeks go on people seem to be more tense. That tension spreads geometrically when you take it out on your co-workers.
These times are defining for leaders. People will remember you based on how you “show up” now. Leaders will fare better if they follow some basic concepts while the unknowns of the pandemic era continue.