8 Best Practices Business Leaders Can Adopt to Lead Through Business Disruption During COVID-19

Introduction

As the world wades through the aftermath of the pandemic, with lockdowns and social distancing, the disruption is making way for new dynamics. In this article, I outline how L&D teams can help employees and leaders react and respond to the crisis.

Background

In this article (part of a series of 4 articles, an eBook, and a Webinar), I outline how can business leaders help and lead through business disruption caused by COVID-19. I highlight 8 strategies that will help employees and organization respond to the crisis.

My other 3 articles touch upon:

• 7 Key Areas L&D Teams Should Focus on to Handle Changing Workplace Dynamics Due to COVID-19
• 4 Pragmatic Strategies L&D Teams Must Use to Train Remote Workers with Limited Training Budgets
• 3-Step Action Plan to Implement an Incredibly Effective Corporate Training Program for Virtual Teams

Recap

In my previous article, 7 Key Areas L&D Teams Should Focus on to Handle Changing Workplace Dynamics Due to COVID-19, I had touched upon the impact of the disruption and what L&D teams can do to establish an Agile and Flexible Digital Workplace.

For this to succeed, there are several aspects that must be handled by employees and business leaders.

In this article,

• I outline, how L&D teams can contribute effectively to the business by helping employees and business leaders handle the changed dynamics.
• Then, I highlight 8 strategies that business leaders should use that would help the employees as well as the organization manage the crisis and respond effectively.

Part 1: Support the employees to manage changed work dynamics

One of the first things that all employees need to be mindful of during a crisis of this epic proportion is the need to be flexible and agile. Each employee must contribute to ensure that the organization can move ahead.

Besides taking care of the remotely operating employees, the L&D teams can play a pivotal role in driving home the message that:

• There is an implicit need to equip themselves to the changing dynamics and continue to contribute at the required levels.
• As the clouds of global recession gather, there is also a need to invest in training, sharpening existing skills, or pick up new skills.

Part 2: Enable and empower business leaders during business disruption

In this endeavor, as the employees realign and adapt to the new dynamics, the contribution of business managers and leaders is critical for success. They can lead the change management initiative to help the employees and organization respond better to the crisis. L&D teams can help businesses spot talent for this and then work on enabling and empowering them in the changed dynamics.

Best practices: To succeed during this crisis, here are 8 aspects that business leaders should focus on: 

1. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate: At the time of the crisis and changing dynamics, employees want a leader who regularly communicates.
2. This is not the time for perfection: Instead, the approach needs to be agile, iterative, and should propel the teams to move forward.
3. Focus: At the time of crisis, business leaders can do away with the desirables and keep the focus on what is crucial and important. This would bring in the desired focus in the team members as they see a limited set of areas to contribute on which makes things more feasible and achievable.
4. Experiment: Disruption gives you the room to innovate and do things that you had wanted to but didn’t get around to. Business leaders must use this opportunity to adopt different approaches that were in the storeroom.
5. Transparency: During crisis, more than ever there is a need for real information – pleasant or otherwise. Alongside, there should be suggestions on how it can be handled or what needs to be plugged or done differently. Employees realize that the scale of this challenge will throw up situations that organizations may not have faced in the past – but this doesn’t mean that they can’t be overcome!
6. Recognize and empower employees who rise to the challenge: Recognize and reward employees who adapt and effectively contribute to the changed dynamics. Hierarchy be damned – use them as Change Champions to catalyze further change that aligns the team better to the new goals.
7. Celebrate small gains and mini successes: As we face a huge crisis that the world hasn’t faced before, it can overwhelm us. What is important is to keep the positive energy flowing and even the smallest of good things should be shared with the team. You can devise virtual get-togethers to celebrate these mini successes.
8. Work on the future: A crisis of this dimension needs ongoing crisis management. As the dynamics shift, so is the need to come up with supporting measures that can help the organization deal with it. However, this is not enough – even though this is tiring and time-consuming. Leaders also need to have a second and far more crucial track of looking ahead, including re-strategizing with respect to new dynamics and tapping the opportunities that this crisis brings in.

So, What Should Be Done by the L&D Teams to Handle the Changed Workplace Dynamics and Ensure That Remote/Virtual Learning Happens?

The L&D teams can adopt several tips and strategies that will help them deal with this business disruption and successfully offer remote/Virtual Training.

This is outlined in my next article – 4 Pragmatic Strategies L&D Teams Must Use to Train Remote Workers with Limited Training Budgets.

Meanwhile, if you have any specific queries, do contact me or leave a comment below.

Additional Resources

• Free eBook: You can also download my eBook, COVID-19 – Survival Guide for L&D Teams – Featuring Tips, Strategies, and an Action Plan to Handle the Challenge.
• Related Webinar: I also conducted a Webinar on the same topic. You can access the recording here. – COVID-19 – Survival Guide for L&D Teams – Featuring Tips, Strategies, and an Action Plan to Handle the Challenge.

Read More

• 7 Key Areas L&D Teams Should Focus on to Handle Changing Workplace Dynamics Due to COVID-19
• 5 Amazingly Effective Strategies To Convert Your ILT Program To High-Impact Virtual Training
• Using Blended Training in Your Employee Onboarding Program to Promote Organizational Culture
• Tips and Strategies to Shorten New Hire Time-to-Productivity with Employee Onboarding Training
• Leadership in the Times of Business Disruption – 8 Aspects Every Leader Should Focus On