Understanding risk is at the core of management and board effectiveness. Every day decision makers consider options and make choices based on their expert judgment and analysis of probable success.
But there is one business risk that can lurk outside leaders’ awareness. In fact, this risk comes from inside their own heads in the form of mental biases. And no one is immune.
For many, our post-pandemic work world has shifted to a hybrid model of in-person and remote activities. Stakeholder relations and operational excellence continue to require leaders to expand, refine and adapt their executive repertoires. An important tool for them to possess and utilize on a daily basis is the Most Powerful Question.
If you’ve been in the workplace for any period of time, you’ve probably encountered someone who fits the description of a Productive Narcissist. In fact, you might have even hired the person yourself, unaware that certain personality traits would turn your star performer into a costly management “black hole.”
A crisis by definition involves an abnormal state. So let us be clear: the coronavirus pandemic has not ushered in a new normal but an abnormal social and economic dislocation unlike anything in memory. To be effective in battling this existential threat to life and economic well-being, organizational leaders need a playbook that prioritizes speed, flexibility and adaptability in managing uncertainty.
Here are three people priority focus areas for leading effectively in the NEW ABNORMAL.
Crisis situations, whether they are the result of natural or man-made disasters, are the ultimate leadership test. In the first two decades of this century public and private sector leaders have had to deal with the 9/11 terrorist strikes, the 2008-2009 financial recession, devastating hurricanes, and business-crippling cyber attacks. Now the novel coronavirus pandemic presents unparalleled challenges of intervention, coordination and collaboration both within and across countries globally.
As Jawaharlal Nehru noted, “Every little thing counts in a crisis.”
Here are six field-tested pointers for leading effectively in tough, turbulent times.
