Leadership Competencies in Turbulent Times

This blog takes a look at a number of the emerging business challenges facing the world as a result of the global pandemic and defines a range of premium leadership competencies that will be most required to navigate enterprises through a period of unprecedented turbulence and disruption. 

One of the very fortunate aspects of the one to one career transition coaching that forms my regular diet of daily work is that right now I get to speak often with a wide range of experienced and talented business leaders from all around the world. I am regularly hearing about their reactions, fears, difficulties and emotions during these unprecedented times. 

Right now with significant business interruption and disruption wherever you look, there is much discussion and speculation about quite how the world might be different as the immediate physical risk of COVID-19 begins to reduce but with an economic fallout that persists long into the foreseeable future . No-one of course can predict with any certainty quite how situations will pan out but there is a reasonable amount of consensus that some things will definitely not go back entirely to the way they were. There is also some fairly common agreement as to the areas where we might see the most change. These are the most often cited themes I hear echoed on a daily basis. 

• eCommerce - eCommerce already on a steep upward trend pre COVID-19 but will grow even more rapidly and exponentially as consumers and businesses consolidate what they have learned from their recent experiences in lockdown.

• Business Travel - whilst international air travel will eventually return, it is likely to be a slow and gradual process with global businesses inevitably now more critically evaluating the need to revert to previous levels of business travel given the widespread and enforced use of on-line communications during lockdown and the new extreme pressures on costs.

• Virtual Working - for global, geographically dispersed organisations, virtual communications will become more of the default norm, with a corresponding impact on where and how people work and with home working becoming much more institutionalised in many organisational cultures with a consequential impact on .... 

• Learning & Communications - the concept and practice of socialising, learning, communicating and collaborating on-line will have been given a massive boost as a result of the lockdown experience prompting significant further innovations to come on the methods and platforms deployed. With a long road still ahead where social distancing in some form will need to be maintained, on-line interactions will become more the norm for very many. 

• Social Value - more commercial businesses in the current crisis will (some perhaps for the first time) have grasped the reality that they have no right to exist solely as money making-machines and that their reputation and sustainability is fundamentally linked to their deliberate and purposeful actions to help create better societies. Governments and customers will be much less forgiving on those that don’t actively play this wider role, changing the emphasis and purpose of many organisations. 

• Environmental Value - reduced pollution levels, diminished congestion, cleaner air are all sharp and very tangible benefits of a world in lockdown and this experience will, rightly, add significantly to government and business pressures worldwide to accelerate a reduction in fossil fuel dependency and achieve dramatically reduce carbon emissions. The accelerated effect of this will again more rapidly challenge and transform the business models of many enterprises. 

• Care Value - there is a widespread and growing guilt that societies have typically undervalued and under-resourced their vital carers and critical service workers at the expense of scarce resources going elsewhere. Also Covid-19 has been a stark demonstration that the care and health services of the world are unequally distributed and when dealing with global infections the world is only as strong as its weakest link in these areas 

• Debt Immersion - the Governments of the world will be massively over-borrowed as a result of this health crisis. It will take a monumental period of sustained economic growth to return economies to a sustainable balance and there is likely to be much human fall-out from the consequences of recession. Innovation, investment and technology will provide the routes out but only as and when they are affordable. It will be a long road.

• Collaboration - COVID-19 has provided us with powerful examples of where cross-business and cross institutional collaborations have accelerated the search for supply chain, scientific and best practice innovations and solutions. However individual nations have in the short term, been very inwardly focused on the immediate needs of their own populations. The successful regeneration of the economies of the world however is unlikely to come from narrow nationalism and the pursuit only of vested self-interest. The speed of recovery will be directly correlated with the degree of mutual collaboration between the key players in the world economy. Global corporations will play a key role in stimulating such collaboration.

• Disruption - there is simply very little in our working and personal lives that has not been impacted and significantly disrupted by this most recent period in world history . This disruption is likely to continue way beyond the bounds of the immediate crisis as Governments, Institutions and organisations wrestle with securing health and restoring economic prosperity. Dealing with disruption and the uncertainty and ambiguity that flows from it will be the new norm.

• The above is not intended as an exhaustive list of themes but rather a summary anecdotally of the issues arising from recent varied conversations with business leaders from many parts of the world. Please feel free when commenting on this article to add to or disagree with this summary as we are all trying in this period of uncertainty to reach a better shared understanding as to what the future might look like. 

But of course there is one all-pervading issue that is missing from the above list that sits as a common challenge straddling and influencing all of the areas described above (and of course many more). 

That of course is the challenge of Leadership. 

The demands on those leading us through this extraordinary crisis at an organisational, national and international level have already been profound. The issues confronted have been and remain unparalleled in recent times with decisions and actions having to be taken rapidly in the face of changing data, unchartered territory and unpredictable outcomes. And for the foreseeable future the leadership demands will remain acute in dealing with the consequences of the pandemic and the kind of large-scale transformational change described above. 

So what then is there to be said about the leadership capabilities that will be most required and demanded so that organisations and whole nations can navigate their way through the massive turbulence and disruption ahead. Through the fog of uncertainty it is possible to form a view of the leadership competencies that might be of premium value in the next few years of global human endeavour. Again this is not designed to be overly prescriptive and many of the competencies described below are not brand new; however the playing field upon which these leadership practices will be enacted will now be significantly different from that envisaged but a few months ago and so they merit a fresh iteration and formulation. 

Below I suggest what might be the leadership competencies that will be of premium value in the coming months and years as the world seeks to recover and regenerate. 

For the benefit of focus and simplicity I have grouped these into a number of what I describe as premium Leadership Clusters. “Premium” because they effectively will be those likely to make the most difference and “ Clusters” to signify that each theme is itself made up of an inter-related set of specific and important leadership skills and behaviours. 

NB Health Warning - these are not designed to be the only leadership competencies that will be important in the coming period but simply those that might be in most demand to help organisations navigate through the most turbulent of times. Please in commenting on this article, feel free to add your own perspectives on these or other leadership competencies you see as essential in the months and years ahead. 

URGENCY & PASSION - the profound and lasting impacts of COVID-19 will require leaders who move with pace and conviction to appraise situations, take rapid decisions, engage deeply with stakeholders and instil urgency in others. Urgency is different from panic i.e. it is prioritising the handful of most critical issues to be immediately addressed, tackling them with vigour and then moving to the next defined short-list of priorities. Panic is giving yourself fifty priorities and therefore in effect having none. Personal passion to get things done and get things fixed will inject not only pace but a sense of enthusiasm and motivation for the challenges ahead. 

DATA MASTERY - the ability to command the most relevant, most accurate and most real-time data about customers, suppliers, staff and the changing economic circumstances so that it is possible to be highly credible and focused on the issues that a leader will need to get most urgent and passionate about. Sometimes this data will be incomplete, hard to extract and so will require sharp interpretive and judgemental skills. Managing the gap between what is firm and certain and what is not will be a critical aspect of a strong leader’s credentials. 

RESILIENCE & CALM - be in no doubt that the next period will be challenging beyond most people’s recent experience with the likely need to make crushingly difficult and painful decisions in order to refocus enterprises and in many cases as an issue of pure survival. Leaders with the presence of mind to remain, strong, calm and in control of their emotions will stay ahead of the turbulent and disruptive times where others may be less sure and stable in the face of uncertainty and threat. The ability to “act as the leader” will be in demand like never before. This in turn requires leaders who build and project personal resilience through their own thinking and physical ability to relax, stay balanced and bring calm perspective to chaotic situations.

ANCHORING YOUR PEOPLE - uncertainty and fear is contagious in situations of acute turbulence and can significantly inhibit purposeful, productive action. Whilst there might be many things that leaders cannot influence in crisis - in particular those wider economic and market instabilities- the one major area where a proactive leader can have a determined impact is in their immediate sphere of influence and their dealings with immediate direct reports, peers and stakeholders. Listening hard and with empathy to the concerns of others, providing transparency and clarity where you can (and where you can’t explaining why not) and role-modelling self-assured responses are examples of the types of behaviours that will help anchor the people around you and help dilute the negative effects of personal fears and uncertainties. The capability to provide regular non-directive coaching to colleagues, to act inclusively and to engage regularly with your key immediate stakeholders will be at the heart of this anchoring process.

CUSTOMER IMMERSION - for any business in turmoil, it is highly likely that so too will your customers be experiencing all of the same pressures of disruption and dislocation to their business models. Customers will be looking for unprecedented levels of listening, responsiveness and empathy from their suppliers and/or business partners. Understanding the pain of your customers by putting yourself figuratively and perhaps more literally in their shoes, will be amongst the premium leadership behaviours for nurturing and sustaining customer relationships and loyalty. Tracking and supporting your customers’ journeys’ through their difficulties will provide essential information for designing your future products, services and delivery channels in partnership with your most valued clients. 

VIRTUAL VIRTUOSITY - communications in the post COVID-19 world will have some important material differences. The road where virtual communications becomes the norm has until recently been a progressive but gradual learning process. But recent times have projected virtual communications to centre stage and with more familiarity will come more use. Leaders of the future will need to be highly skilled at using all the virtual tools available to influence, persuade and inform others. Hopping on a plane to visit a key customer, stakeholder or remote team may no longer be such a ready option. Mastering the ability both technically and verbally to use virtual communications to negotiate, provide feedback, coach and inform others will become a core capability of all in a leadership role.

SOCIAL INSPIRATION - the synergy between commercial success and social well-being has been profoundly demonstrated during the COVID-19 lockdown. The demand on leaders of all enterprises to demonstrate how they will initiate, add value and contribute to wider social and environmental well-being is now firmly top of the agenda. Serious and successful leaders in the 2020’s will be those that can straddle both the need for strong short term organisational performance but can in their words and actions also role-model the connectedness, value and ethical integrity that adds sustained value to the wider well-being of society. 

COMMERCIAL BRAVERY - with pre-existing business models crumbling in the face of profound economic challenges, leaders in this forthcoming era will not only need to be massively performance and financially focused but they will also need the imagination, adaptability, innovation and fortitude to try and test new business iterations in the search for new adaptive means of offering distinctive value and service in a turbulent market-place. 

TRANSFORMATION COMMAND - there is no business model in the newly shaped future post 2020 that will not require leaders who are capable of profound insights and capacity to conceive and implement fundamental change. Nothing that was certain before COVID-19 will be assured for the period beyond. An understanding and command of the processes to effect large scale transformation will be a central capability of anyone holding a significant leadership role. The impacts of COVID 19 have not been isolated but have impacted on almost all aspects of social and economic life and as such the ability to transform an organisation's fortune in a wholistic interrelated and integrated way will be a critical and defining leadership capability. 

HUMILITY - lastly but by no means least, a new era will require leaders who whilst providing clarity of vision and direction are inclusive, accessible and above all else capable of actively listening to and acting upon a wide portfolio of stakeholders, customers, suppliers and staff in the search for ever-improving ways of forging business success. No single leader will have any monopoly on rightness and certainty. Living with turmoil and ambiguity will require openness and humility combined with a willingness to collaborate and share power in the interests of a common goal. 

So here are some final thoughts ....

If you are, or aspire to be, an effective leader in the business environment of the next few difficult years perhaps you should be asking yourself right now, the following important questions: 

• How well equipped am I as a leader to rise to the new challenges of a much changed world? 

• If I am seeking a promotion or applying for new role in a different organisation what is my narrative that demonstrates how I might be best equipped to meet the leadership competency challenge in this different world? 

• Where do I most urgently need to develop my own capabilities so that I can credibly embrace the different dimensions of leadership navigation and change that will be so needed in the months and years ahead? 

• What is my plan for building my leadership capabilities so that they are fit for purpose?

If as a result of reading this article you would value a coaching discussion about how to improve and apply your leadership capabilities to the new circumstances or if you might need help on how to refocus and re-purpose your immediate leadership team to rise to the unprecedented challenges, then please do not hesitate to contact me at tim@brosna-consulting.com 

Comments and observations are warmly welcomed.

Tim Chapman