Coronavirus: How will YOU lead in this crisis?

INSPIRED BY OUR MEMBERS & CLIENTS, WE TURNED THIS POST INTO A FULL WEBINAR…

CLICK HERE to go to our resource page. It includes a full replay of the webinar, a PDF manual and an audio program featuring advice from a panel of experts we had on the live broadcast.

There are lessons here––lessons that we can apply in our leadership roles today. You might run you run the night shift at your local convenience store, or you might be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. People are looking for leadership right now––and we’ve got to step up.

Blame is destructive in a crises…

I don’t care what bumper sticker you have on your car. I appreciate the fact that we’re in the home stretch of an election cycle, but it’s sickening how politicians have been cashing-in on this situation for marketing opportunities and personal gain.

Take care not to blame in your own leadership practice. It’s easy to do in these situations. Work the problem––there will be plenty of challenges coming as this thing unfolds.

It’s perfectly understandable to blame the government, for example, for the effect these new edicts will have on your business. Believe me, I’ve had my moments over the past few days too––but it won’t get us anywhere.

Identify the impact. Focus on solutions and work-arounds. Face the problem head on. Save the blame for another day.

Leadership is sharing. A leader shares.

In this situation, people’s lives are at stake––and I’m not just talking about the threat from the illness itself.

What if––just for a week or two––candidates put aside their rivalries. If you’ve got a plan––share it. With all the usually rhetoric about “reaching across party lines” and “bi-partisan” leadership, what if our leaders laid down their swords and held a joint “all-hands” meeting to share ideas and come up with a plan.

What an amazing sight it would be to see Trump, Biden and Sanders standing with McConnell, Pelosi and Schumer giving a joint report on a plan they developed together.

Meanwhile, there's nothing preventing us from sharing in our own leadership practice today. And one of the most important thing we can share as people become more worried is our calm, focused leadership. Let's find every opportunity to work together and share resources to help us all get through this successfully.

Get people involved…at all levels…

I believe President Trump made a mistake when he rolled out the international travel ban. I appreciate the pressure he's under––we all share that pressure. This is not a political commentary. Rather there is a lesson here.

I'm not questioning the ban––but rather the way it was implemented and announced. He and his team had to do some scrambling to clarify details immediately after the speech and plenty of people are still confused today.