Leadership in Covid19 -Clarity

Imagine you have been given a gift of 1000 puzzle pieces, alas, the puzzle pieces came in a box with no picture and you have to guess the final outcome as you assemble the pieces together. This is how many of us felt in light of the uncertainty Covid19 brought with it. Due to constant changes in the state of health indicators and fluctuations in the information provided by authorities, leaders found it extremely difficult to find clarity in the chaos and to lead under these circumstances.

Communicating to your employees, stakeholders and beneficiaries, repeatedly and frequently can help getting the haze out of uncertainty and non-clarity.  

How you communicate is also important. “CHOP the FEAR of uncertainty by Communicating”

Use the CHOP FEAR Mnemonics:

Clear Goals- be clear and convey clarity about the steps ahead, even if you’d be discussing the steps to be taken the next day.

Humility – we are all on the same boat. It is not about “I” or “You”. If a hole occurs on one side of the boat we are all going to sink… Using ‘We’ in communication makes everybody feel in accord with the leader. 

Optimistic yet Realistic- define reality using fact based information and embed optimism and positivity based on past history.

Purpose driven not pressure driven, remind people of “why” the organisation exists and utilise the opportunity of the lack of clarity to bring clarity on the core of your organisation and what keeps it going, especially in crisis like today’s.

……………………

Frequent- things are changing all the times, the more they change the more you communicate. Very important to keep all stakeholders informed continuously on actions you taking to deal with the current situation.

Examine team- be there for your team, address their insecurities and be proactive in seeking them out. Listen to them, be empathetic, contain their anger and fear so you can lead them. Show confidence, not in yourself, but in the team’s ability to get through the crisis.

Authentic- your communication style needs to reflect who you are. What you say and what you do is aligned. Check your body language and tone of voice when communicating. Especially when trying to communicate calm and ease yet your body language shows tension and tightness. 

Repeat – the pandemic threw our mind into stress and worry. Therefore it is recommended (and not a waste of time) to repeat messages you conveyed in the past.