5 Changes Leaders Need to Make in 2021

The impact Covid-19 has had on modern business practice no longer needs to be stated. After a year and a half, we are all acutely aware. With that said, we are looking ahead to the remainder of 2021 and beyond, analyzing how leaders can best embrace the dramatic changes we have seen throughout the pandemic.

It is plain to see that the workforce, is fatigued. Fears around health and the onset of stress, anxiety and depression associated with isolation are commonplace. Managers and Leaders, in doing just that, leading, now have a greater responsibility on their shoulders - mapping a course to a steadier and more comfortable environment for their teams.

So, how can you best embrace the new world of work as a leader? Let us jump in...

Be Flexible:

If the world’s startling lack of preparedness to handle a global pandemic should have taught business leaders anything, it is how to bend, not break. Cancelled contracts, hiring freezes, remote working and unprecedented ambiguity have required greater flexibility from managers and leaders than ever before. This is a somewhat good- / bad news situation wherein sustaining such a level of flexibility is mentally jarring and emotionally draining. However, flexibility is an awesome skill to have mastered and will be in high demand as we ride out a turbulent 2021. Our advice - embrace your flexibility and resist the urge to return to a structured, overly rigid environment.

Be Empathetic:

Do not only show empathy to your entire team, show it to yourself too. As a leader, it is easy to become caught up in your own responsibility, worrying about your team first and yourself last. We are all just human at the end of the day and the past 16 months will have had a profound effect on each of us. It is important to recognize that and look after yourself, forgive mistakes you made and use hindsight sparingly. You cannot expect to be thoroughly empathetic to anyone unless you can practice the same on yourself first. Assess how the past 16 months have truly made you feel, ask your team the same and align on an approach to improve your collective situation as a unit.

Embrace Mindfulness:

Without a well-oiled and effective HR team, policy, and company culture, one-to-one and performance review style meetings often miss the mark. Without the type of insightful questions designed to expose underlying emotions or issues on the employee's behalf and a list of clear outcomes, the meetings are largely redundant or far less effective than they could be. The past 16 months have brought about far more meaningful employer/employee interactions, of which good habits can be formed. While leaders should exhibit strength, it is also important to recognize each of us is only human; we are not shielded from external factors that can impact us emotionally. The lessons managers have learned this past year, such as checking in on employees’ well-being and focusing on leading people over projects, will make for stronger companies and communities for years to come.

Improve Collaboration:

Although this past year has had many challenges, it also has inspired our collective human spirit and exposed our true grit. The pandemic demanded that every business — and every person — react. With this shared experience, we have an incredible opportunity for collaboration. To bring organizations into the future, the next leaders must create an environment where team members feel comfortable presenting innovative ideas, being vulnerable and taking chances. They must feel safe to collaborate freely.

Give Your Team the Tools they Need:

If your team has been forced to work fully remote without it already being an option, the chances are, your organization does not have the tools you need to function properly. There are now so many iterations of work management software, communications platforms, CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems, the list goes on. Whatever niche problem(s) you are facing, there is a solution tailor-made for your exact issue – and it is just a Google search away. It is vital to speak to your employees to work out what elements of their positions have become untenable due to the remote working switch and actively search for a solution to that problem. Getting bogged down, spending hours on workarounds to previously simple operations is a major driver of dissatisfaction and low morale. If these are issues for your organization, they need to be addressed.