Leading in 2021, with the lessons we learned in 2020
There is a quote by Confucius: “A lion chased me up a tree and I greatly enjoyed the view from the top.” The circumstances of 2020 were the lion that chased us up that tree - so what can we take from last year to improve our view? 2020 has been one of, if not the most, upheaving, challenging and incredibly stressful years of our careers to date. And, it has forced us to evolve, to learn, to overcome battles with ourselves, our technology and our pandemic - and there were wins, - both the big and the small. The view from atop that tree has shown us, in particular, that there are better ways of leading. Leadership built on collaboration, connection and community is now a firm fixture of the landscape. So, if we want to look further to the horizon from our tree top, the best thing we can do is take a breath, pause, and reflect on the strengths we harnessed and the areas where we can enhance and optimise going forward.
A great body of research from the likes of Gallup, McKinsey, Deloitte, and Harvard have pointed to some pretty clear markers as to the requirements of professionals in the coming year, considering our uncertain and remote context. The headlines from all these studies boil down to these four headlines:
Connected leadership
It’s inevitable that working online and virtually will remain, if not completely, in hybrid form. The impressionable issue of the last year is that you and your team adapted to 100% of the office being geographically dispersed and working remotely. You laptopped and agiled everyone - no small feat! And, in so many cases, you maintained a working community and trusted your staff more to work towards aligned goals with greater autonomy. There is no going back on this - delegating authority and accountability is the path strong leaders will stay on in 2021.
Reframing balance
2020 is where we may have finally pushed the pendulum on the conversation about life balance. The new ways of working remotely, in many circumstances where that simply was not entertained before, cannot be undone and they will replace conversations about “casual dress friday” as the real way to create sustained balance. The challenge here is that although the parameters have changed, many people are finding now that the boundary between work and home has blurred beyond recognition and “switching off” is the biggest hurdle to get over now. There has also been a knock on effect of our remote working - we are in each other’s home lives. We see toddlers, pets and bad hair days. This has ushered in a new sense of empathy and the sharing of common struggles. Leaders who have gotten this right have fostered great respect and loyalty within their teams with a translation into more psychological safety and engagement. The next step here though is for leaders to recognise that the now blurred boundaries will create burn out. Leading the charge to disconnect in the evenings and take recharge time, not words but by example, critical behavior for 2021.
Doubling down on communication
What has worked well for teams in 2020 is referred to as “bound optimism.” It is leadership messaging that is honest and accurate in terms of what you know, what you foresee, and what it means for people. Many leaders wanted to give wild optimism to their teams, assurance that this would all be done and dusted by Christmas. A concept known as the Stockdale paradox has been researched and has proven that messages of hope, firmly planted in the context of reality is the messaging that helps us through crises most effectively. A great example was demonstrated by New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinta Ardern. Each message she relayed to the nation was clear, compassionate and honest in a language that the whole country could understand. She communicated uncertainty and doubt when she felt it and kept a message of hope, strength and unity to navigate the uncharted water. More of the same is the call to action here in 2021. The darkness of January, post Christmas low, extended lock down and the burnout mentioned above have many people in a profound stage of disillusionment. Big bold rally cries or effusive messages of false hopes are not the antidote; calm listening, and messages of inspiration connected to the understanding of each person's reality is the tonic required.
Empathy – now partner that with accountability
As mentioned, this year has been an eye opener to a side of your employees’ and teams’ lives which usually would go unseen. Some members of your team are playing the role of parent, teacher, carer and trainer in parallel with their “day job”. Leaders have shown compassion and empathy throughout by enabling and facilitating as possible and by understanding that goals are no longer task-oriented but collaborative and people-oriented. So how to build on this for 2021? Gallup’s research on feedback and engagement outlines the clear link between these two. Many leaders have stopped or reduced giving feedback in the remote environment - possibly out of compassion and not wanting to burden an employee with critique. The research is clear here - no feedback can make us feel invisible and unminded, passed by, sidelined. So for 2021, get back to those important conversations on keeping the standards high and the importance of the contribution of your team member. Find the sweet spot to offer compassion and support in partnership with growth and improvement.
2021 – a time to refine
Now is the time to refine the lessons that were learned and embed new best practices for a new work context. Leaders are taxed and tired too, so keeping focus on what really matters now, a few winning strategies, is more valuable than trying to master everything. There is no perfect in this, only progress.
Double down on connection. Relationships, support, interaction with colleagues, family and friends is an area that needs to be safeguarded. 24% of workers in Ireland admitted to feeling lonely throughout this pandemic and across Europe, employees are reporting that their mental health is “very poor” 3 times more frequently than 12 months ago and up 20% since May 2020. 85% of employees state that the communication they recieve on the job isn’t enough, so creating opportunities to come together (virtually) as a team, informal conversation in video meetings and celebrating wins are simple ways that we know have a positive impact.
Battle the burn out. This year, 59% of employees took less time off than they normally would and 42% have no planned recharge time booked. in Ireland, 44% of people state they are working longer hours than usual due to the change to remote working and 21% feel they cannot switch off from work. This is not sustainable and no matter how much leaders talk on this, it is only when they walk the walk by not sending emails after work hours, by taking their own recharge time and being open about its importance that the team will follow suit. The most high powered, expensive car will not run without fuel in the tank and nor can we.
Remember your why. Because everything in our world feels so much smaller right now, it is easy to “get the job done” without really connecting to why it matters. What problem are we solving? Why is that important? What is our aim? How are we doing? How can we be even better? Teams historically would gather around flip charts and define their remit and ambition, their ways of working, and their target results a couple of times a year. We have seen that drop off considerably this year because doing that in a virtual setting can seem hard. It is, but it is not impossible, and these conversations are important to the wider sense of belonging that we all have.
2020 taught us that we are resilient, capable and determined as a workforce. 2021 is showing us already that the grit and perseverance that got us here will not be enough to get us to the next horizon. So from the treetop where we find ourselves, where perhaps none of us chose to be, take a few minutes to absorb the view and consider what is behind you and around you that you can build on to move forward toward your next horizon.
