A New Leadership Paradigm
Dr. David Rafeedie
Max was the CEO of a small business that employed 100 people. His top executives, his cabinet as he liked to refer to them, were made of women and men who had been with the company from almost day one. Max’s favorite time of the week is when held “cabinet meetings.” He loved the meetings because it allowed him to “steer the ship” and “right the rudder” when necessary.
His cabinet members did not necessarily feel the same about the meetings, but they were used to them. It gave them a chance to sit back, relax, and take notes. While they did have some input as they gave their reports, usually, decisions were made by Max, and the duties to carry out his desires were given to the appropriate cabinet members.
Max had a vision. He knew exactly where he was going and how he was going to get there. Things were going according to plan, and it almost seemed effortless as he was in a groove. As far as he was concerned, things would go on as they are for the foreseeable future. Maybe until he retired.
Then COVID came into the picture, and the future was disrupted. Layoffs, furloughs, and social distancing. Some of Max’s cabinet came down with COVID-19. One died because he was older and had diabetes. Some of the former employees became ill but recovered. For some, it was touch and go financially. All were struggling to pay their bills.
The loss of income, the shut down of the business, the inability to gather to work and talk took its toll. The disruption was felt in a myriad of ways, but common feelings were fear, frustration, anger, and confusion. At times these feelings were overwhelming.
Max realized that doing business the same old way was no longer viable, at least for now. He also understood the leadership status quo was not feasible. To his credit, Max hired a coach to help him think outside the box. He wanted to discover and implement new and relevant leadership behaviors that would help him and his team grow and make progress in these unprecedented times.
Partnering with his coach, Max came up with a new paradigm for leadership that fit this time and would take him into the future successfully. He was convinced that with this new paradigm, he could help his team and organization to continue to move forward, even in a shutdown. While there were many nuances in the new model and some things didn’t change, the context for his leadership and team rested on three new pillars.
Three Pillars of a New Leadership Paradigm
Pillar one is empathy. How does empathy fit in with leadership? In this COVID era, leaders must have compassion for those they lead. COVID has disrupted business and personal lives beyond anything anyone could imagine three months ago. Leader and led are all in the same boat. All are experiencing some loss, and with loss comes grief. With empathy for ones’ team begins a new link a leader establishes with them in some tangible ways. Max put a strategy in place to express his understanding and compassion in meaningful ways with his team. As part of that strategy, he would equip his team to show empathy in tangible ways to their teams.
Pillar two is connection. Relationship has become more critical than ever before for an influential leader. Staying connected to the team during “social distancing” and Zoom meetings is not an easy task. It is a change. Zoom fatigue has entered our vocabulary. Being creative in staying connected to keep the team cohesive is not an option. Same old, same old, is not an option for the COVID era.
Board room one on three distancing as needed
Monthly Outdoor meetings with social distancing for the team
Pillar three is perseverance. These are trying times. First, there was the horrific murder George Floyd on video, and frankly, Max could not watch it again, it was too heart wrenching. Our society has been disrupted and is being disrupted. Not just with COVID and the shutdowns, but violence is racking many of our cities and disrupting the fabric of society. There is a great deal of stress and fear, which is exacerbated by binge-watching news.
This time calls for perseverance in a leader and organization more than ever before. Max knew the determination of his team and organization depended directly on his perseverance. And not just surviving and taking the blows but being proactive in essential ways in the present and in preparing now for the future.
As Max began implementing his new paradigm, he was encouraged by the response from his team and customers. He felt confident that as things started to open up slowly, he would not only be prepared but thought he would hit the ground running.
He was not operating at maximum effectiveness in the new paradigm because he still needed to change internally. It would be a process, there would be hits and misses, but all-in-all he was excited about the changes taking place in him, his team, and his business.
Of course, some things never change. The context for the new paradigm is found in the best practices and healthy leadership behaviors that have proven effective in influential leaders. https://davidthecoach.com/blog/2018/2/15/characteristics-of-a-healthy-leader.
We know the physical stuff is temporary. Before or after a vaccine, things will eventually get to the new normal. The leadership principles in the new paradigm are here to stay for the kind of influential leadership required as we work our way out of this time.
How would you like your leadership to change? What aspect of your leadership would you like to experience growth? Let’s talk! I am passionate about partnering with leaders like you for change and growth. Email me at info@davidthecoach.com, text me, or feel free to call me on 520-709-1860. If you like, text me your phone number, and I will call you to start a conversation to explore a coaching relationship.
If you are reading this on social media, check out my website at www.davidthecoach.com. You will also find more blogs on fear, leadership, transitions, and other subjects dealing with success factors.