Is your leadership style still stuck in 2019?

Working and coaching senior execs during this pandemic has given me a huge insight into, and convinced me more than ever, that more leaders need to spend less time calling meetings, consultations or in front of spreadsheets, and more time simply speaking with their staff direct – be this in person or on Zoom.

You have some leaders who insist that creativity can only happen when teams meet in person, while other leaders are growing their companies tenfold during the pandemic with valuations exceeding $100s millions despite comprising of hybrid or fully distributed teams with many team members having never met in person. So when it comes to coping with the constant uncertainty and adaptation required of the pandemic - whether it be from new government (pandemic) advisories (sometimes with less than 48 hrs notice), or changes/expectations in employee and customer habits, one type of leader (though not perfect), seems far more adept at responding to, and planning for the new post-pandemic reality, while the other still maintains the view that once the pandemic is over, we will all return to the world as it was in 2019. The latter leader is, I’m afraid, not dealing with reality. While it’s true, not every job sector/teams can accommodate hybrid or fully distributed, the reality is this: Employees are not changing, they HAVE changed; Customers are not changing, they HAVE changed. The question is, is your leadership style and bench keeping up or is it still stubbornly waiting for the return of 2019? Click HERE to read more of my coaching blogs.

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