The leadership lessons we can learn from the Pandemic

Not even the best professional at predicting the future could imagine what the year 2020 would be like. The arrival of the Coronavirus outbreak has altered the lives of all human beings on Earth, albeit in different ways. It shows how we live in a world of rapid changes; however, this disease has been accelerating some of the transformations already pointed out as a trend. Despite the negative effects of this event, which are many and will take a long time to account for and overcome, we can try to extract lessons from this, reflecting on the way some leaders are managing the situation and what we can learn from it.

Leadership style has been considered a crucial point in slowing the spread of Covid-19. Women leaders around the world have been far more successful in this situation, as New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Arden, exemplifies. She took the drastic measure of shutting down the entire country, however as a result she was able to officially declare the country free of the disease. Angela Markel is another example who was able to reopen Germany’s economy earlier than other European countries.

A study conducted by some researchers in England compared countries led by women and their neighbors led by men that were similar in terms of population, age, health expenditure, and others. They found that women tend to be more risk-averse when it comes to making decisions that involve human lives, which is why they had their countries closed more quickly. On the other hand, women are less risk-averse when it comes to risking the economy. Some countries led by male leaders, such as the US, UK, Brazil, and Russia remain leading countries in terms of deaths per capita. The lesson here is about embracing diversity in leadership styles. For many years, women have been asked to be like men to succeed. Some leadership researchers defend the idea that a female leadership archetype is better suited to the demands of the current context due to its characteristics such as collaboration and humanization of relationships. In this unprecedented moment, it is important to understand these different approaches and seek the style that is best suited to each situation.

Another unquestionable lesson from the pandemic is about the interdependence between countries, societies, and people. The pandemic has opened up our vulnerability. In this globalized world, no country is really isolated, protected, or above all. A problem that

started in China and has spread to all countries, regardless of their wealth or power.

Power is usually studied based on two dimensions. The first dimension is related to dependence. The more B depends on A, the more A has power over B. The second dimension is associated with the compatibility of goals. In this example, where the power relationship is unequal, A tends to be unwilling to make his goals compatible. However, controlling the coronavirus has become the objective of all countries in the world, and solving this problem will require a joint effort and good results will depend on everyone’s participation and responsibility. Suppose a country could control and provide a Covid vaccine only to its population, however, would this solution be sustainable? How long could they live in isolation? If that were possible, they would still always be threatened by the return of the virus if the problem is not solved globally. The lesson here is that there is no way to solve complex problems without collaboration. In this sense, there is also a shift in power relations instead of power over, we need power with. Power means doing things together and using people’s best talents, experiences, and knowledge, sharing information, and joining forces. Leaders must create a collaborative environment that leads to better decision-making that benefits society.

In uncertain times like this pandemic, probably no prior procedure or strategy existed to deal with this crisis. When there are no established policies on how to act in situation X, leaders need to find criteria to guide their decisions. That guidance can come from company values and a country’s constitution, or if none of that is enough, leaders will have to rely on their personal values. It is worth reflecting on which priorities and values ​​fit better at this moment.

In recent decades, many societies have focused on individualistic values, measures, and rewards. No wonder why competition is so high and why we find so many unresolved problems in our society. Meanwhile, Covid-19 warns us about the importance of looking at problems more broadly and seeking to improve our society. The lesson here is that we need to assess the impacts of our actions on society. Leaders must balance individual and collective values ​​so that the common good always prevails. Normally, organizations do not encourage a pact for the development of the group, but only of their individual members. Evaluation and reward systems limit the autonomy of leaders to offer more substantive forms of recognition of collaboration. It is up to the leaders to establish counterparts for the recognition of the development of the team and its members as part of the signed pact.

Another lesson deals with the importance of developing social and emotional skills. Controlling our emotions in times of pressure and adversity is critical. This is a difficult time for everyone, the fear of death, the bereavement of dear relatives, the risk of losing jobs, being insecure about maintaining their jobs, businesses in crisis or closing, adaptation to the home office modality, and concerns in relation to the education of the children and many others. The lesson here is that we need to strengthen ourselves emotionally to be able to deal with all our problems. Leaders must take care of their own emotions so they can support their followers and prepare them to always deal with adversity.

Remote working forces leaders to abandon command control, which means letting their team members decide what and how they are going to do their work. It is necessary to provide more freedom, being concerned with offering support and guaranteeing adequate working conditions so that they can make their deliveries. In this context, leaders must build relationships of trust, where each member of their team is considered in their individuality.

Reference:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephaniefillion/2020/08/05/the-science-behind-women-leaders-success-in-fighting-covid-19/