Covid-19 is causing impacts to people and businesses across the world. Mainly because it is moving quickly, advice is inconsistent, and new information is seemingly coming out every single hour. It’s a chaotic atmosphere across the board.
In the midst of chaos, people seek out surety and security. They look for leadership. They crave direction. If you don’t give it to them, they will seek it elsewhere.
Leadership in the midst of this situation is not about predicting the future or offering overly rosy or bleak pictures of where things are at. Right now, leadership is giving people a sense that someone is at the wheel. It’s giving direction for what they should and should not be worried about working on today. Leaders should be focused on the people side of their teams first and foremost – assure them that their health and safety matters most. Business will survive.
The words we use while doing this matter. Covid-19 versus Coronavirus versus some of the more fringe versions being thrown out there (Twitter can be awful) show how connected you are with the health community. Staying calm shows that not everyone is panicking. Using active language shows that you are leading the effort.
Because the secret in chaos is that people will seek leadership from someone. If you do not offer it to them, they will find it elsewhere and that elsewhere may not be the right direction. It may lead them to panic. It may lead them to act on things that are best left until certainty returns.
Leadership does not require 24/7 vigilance but it does require regular and consistent touchpoints.