Management Perspectives

Even though remote work structures and tech-driven set-ups have been in vogue for a while, 2020 has accelerated digital transformation by a few years, if not more.
Workplaces across the globe are undergoing transformation at breakneck speeds; and while digital acceleration continues to take place, leaders need to simultaneously prepare for imminent change in the context of employee productivity, employee engagement, rewards and recognition programmes, and overall organisational well-being The fact of the matter is that even though the pandemic has impacted all sectors in unpredictable ways, the widespread repercussions on the economy will be felt for years to come.

The bigger question is: What next? The honest answer to this is that nobody might actually know what is coming. From a factual standpoint, we currently lack credible data to predict when the world will return to even a semblance of normalcy. Until then, leadership needs to undergo a monumental shift.

Especially during a crisis, employee feedback and active listening are paramount. In fact, building trust, easing anxieties, and calming fears become part and parcel of a leader’s portfolio, if not the most important bit.

Leaders must therefore invest in building their empathy as well as their emotional resilience levels.

First things first. It is important to define resilience and understand what it takes to build leadership resilience when navigating through uncharted territory. Simply put, it is the capacity with which an employee is able to bounce back after going through a phase of adversity, respond to change, feel a sense of control over his or her own workflow, and establish a sense of community at work.

Having a solid concept of your leadership style is a focal point when reflecting and assessing leadership effectiveness. Since resilience is a skill that can be learned, crisis situations present opportunities for leaders to learn more about themselves and come out stronger on the other side. Leading with purpose results in enhanced employee productivity, a transparent work culture, and higher job satisfaction. Becoming a future-ready and emotionally responsive leader builds resilient muscle within an organisation to help teams navigate the flux and move forward.

Resilient leadership will set you apart from the rest
Lead with your heart (then, your head)
In January 2020, a survey conducted by Deloitte China revealed that 90 per cent of the companies and NGOs considered it an urgent requirement to provide their employees with remote and flexible work options. Simultaneously, more than half of the government and public service entities were focusing on addressing employees’ psychological stress. While this might be stating the obvious, the state of mental health in corporate India requires immediate and deeper-than-surface level attention. There is no better time to take the lead and roll out communication that not only resonates with the purpose of your organisation but also helps cultivate engaged employees.

Leading with your heart requires an understanding of an employee’ basic psychological needs as well as an empathetic approach towards putting in place remote work structures that prioritise their well-being.

Put the vision first. Aim for speed over style A key trait of an emotionally resilient leader is the ability to find opportunities even in adversity. In my experience, the ability to take decisive action during a crisis—even without knowing the complete picture—is what helps stabilise organisations. From an emotional intelligence standpoint, building a culture of emotional resilience requires leaders to start by narrowing down on pressing issues, establishing a centralised communication system during a crisis, strengthening digital capabilities, and maintaining business continuity.

When it comes to agility over elegance, leaders need to be willing to accept that they will need to act with imperfect information and sometimes make impromptu decisions. Leaders can seize this chance to encourage teams across all levels to take more initiative, along with driving decision-making and coming up with creative approaches to addressing unanticipated needs. Doing this will amplify trust within teams, motivate employees to assume ownership of projects, and thereby ease the task of putting out multiple fires all at once.

Own the narrative. Embrace the unknown
Communicating with empathy and authority is like balancing on a tightrope. Not many leaders can ace the art of balancing, but the ones that do know how integral it can be to responding to crisis situations. Owning the narrative requires being cognizant of the situation, telling your employees exactly what you know as well as communicating grey areas within the organisation.

While numbers can be powerful, recognising that emotions always take precedence during uncertain times is a solid way to build a work culture that thrives on overcoming challenges.

Take for example, the findings from a Harvard Business Review assessment of corporate performance during the past three recessions.

Out of the 4,700 firms studied, those that cut costs fastest and deepest had the lowest probability of outperforming competitors after the economy recovered. While mass costcutting might be the first thing that leaders do while trying to stay afloat, it can also backfire if long-term strategies are not in place. Instead of jumping the gun, resilient leaders can emerge from the crisis by striking the right balance between short- and long-term strategies.

The ‘Evolving Leader’
Whether we like it or not, COVID-19 has put us all to the test. But if we take a step back, pause for a minute, and reassess how we deal with change, we will quickly realise that no matter how hard we fight change, it is inevitable. Something as simple as acknowledging the fears and uncertainties that your employees might be facing is a great way to start asking the right questions.

Building an emotionally resilient workforce requires listening intently to what your team members are saying as well as what they ‘aren’t saying’. If you are transparent in your communication about the direction that the business needs to head in, are compassionate towards employees who are struggling while working from home, and are also taking into account the serious impact on their mental health, then your people will remember it.

Acknowledging that the new normal is as alien to you as it is to your employees will help fill in any gaps in communication.

Talk of the corporate town
The biggest work culture shift that organisations are experiencing has less to do with adjusting to remote work and more to do with the impact on employees’ emotional well-being. While organisations are scrambling to put in place digital workforces that cater to their clients and stakeholders, it is important to hit pause and take a long, hard look at employee well-being and engagement.

In order to effectively deal with the business ramifications caused by the pandemic and prepare for unprecedented change, leaders need to build a positive work culture that eventually transmits across teams and across all levels of the organisation. Under pressure, organisations are forced to think about what they can do and where their hidden strengths lie. Emotionally resilient workforces that embrace the unknown end up shaping the future of the industry, instead of simply adapting to it.

And finally, when it comes to gauging the impact of emotional resilience within your own organisation, start by asking yourself ‘Who do I want to be right now? Am I living the values of my own organisation? Am I willing to lead with compassion and integrity, at all costs?’ Empathy and emotional resilience are two sides of the same coin. Showing genuine concern is a sign not just of humility, but also of high emotional intelligence. I personally believe that in times like these, emotional resilience encompasses not just weathering storms, but finding ways to build something new from the rubble that gets left behind.