COVID-19 has tested leadership in unimaginable ways and created change that is here to stay. Leaders who can stay level-headed, emphasize clarity, motivate a team, act decisively and quickly amidst uncertainty and risk are better placed for survival and reinvention, writes Sharon Williams, Founder and CEO, Taurus Marketing.

Be honest if you want to instil trust

Transparency is key to keep your team updated, motivated and on track. As leaders, we are in a unique position to accelerate positive change to impact our organisations and people for the better.

This is certainly not a time to put your head in the sand.

For those operating on full staff, normal hours and no job cuts this is testament to your strength and resilience – or the relevance of your service and product offering in this new normal – but for all of us and almost every scenario, it has not been business as usual.

Now is the time for us to work even more closely together, invent new ways of doing things, new ways of interacting and re-align strategic plans with clarity and a “no bull” and outcomes-driven focus.

Stay true to your message

Simplicity cuts through.

The priorities are to empower your people, embrace flexibility and re-purpose roles to keep the business afloat and your staff in their jobs.  It’s about re-skilling, encouraging cross training and getting the team prepared and ready for the next stage of, what started as a health crisis, but is now fundamentally an economic battle.

Courage, fortitude and tenacity is at the forefront of leadership required right now. These values are held tightly at Taurus.

As leaders we have to prepare ourselves, the business and our teams for the disruption and new set of skills to get through this unprecedented period.

Success will depend on you and your team’s ability to constantly adjust to a changing environment, assess speed, agility and cost savings to create best scenario planning.

We need our team to be proactive and embrace the opportunities presented, rethink how we work and invent new and better ways of working.

Your team may surprise you

Champions will emerge, way above their job descriptions.

Now is absolutely the time to revisit internal communications, business plans, operational procedures and staff expectations to stay ahead, share strategy, learn from the experience and move forward which may be away from how things used to be done.

In conversation with my client CEO’s and peer group, it is clear this modern global crisis has created devastation and change for many brands.  BUT the upside is, we are being provided with endless new opportunities.

IF we focus, call upon our teams to help and create new ways of thinking, learning and working, things will be better and for the foreseeable future.

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