Every day is new and uncharted territory and nobody is confident as to what will come tomorrow, let alone a week down the road
Nearly everyone is desperate for reassurance that, despite the crisis on hand, their jobs are still stable and their company will weather the storm and make it out the other side.
This is the time for leaders to step up and take their place. Employees must be reassured, deadlines must still be met and your company must remain stable despite the pandemic sweeping the nation.
This article is filled with tips and thoughts on how leaders can confidently lead their teams during this crisis.
Keep It Positive But Refer To The Facts
Keep it positive while still telling your team the facts. Many people are thinking the worst now and all employees are playing out worst-case scenarios in their heads. It’s crucial that, although you are aware of what’s going on, you also remain positive and set a good example for them.
Ensure that you have all your facts straight and are well aware of the current situation. Emotion tends to control people and plant fear. When you show your team facts and are relying on credible sources, it will ease the panic and ensure that it doesn’t get out of hand.
Getting on a meeting with your employees? Kick it off by talking about how optimistic you are and focus on what good things are currently happening in the company versus the negative. Employees tend to feel more reassured and at ease (and will be more productive while working) if their leaders aren’t panicking.
Learn How They’re Handling It
This is new ground for every business; no employee is sure about what will come next. Employees that have spent their entire career in an office environment are now being forced to work from home. Many of them are uncertain as to what comes in the future for their job, and it’s important that you sympathize with this.
Ask your employees how they’re doing and how they’re adjusting to working remotely. If they need you to adjust their schedule to work better, be lenient. Remember that this is a difficult time for everyone and it can be stressful for employees to feel pressured to tackle everything on their to-do list at once.
Let your employees tell you how they’re doing and listen and sympathize
Be Available
Although you’re busy as well, it’s important that, in this crisis, your employees come first. This is new and unexpected for each of your employees and there will surely be questions that arise. If you’re leading the company there may be employees that you’ve never spoken to or had to directly contact before.
It’s important that you make it clear to all your employees that they can feel free to contact you if necessary. Let them know that you’re available by giving them your email or letting them know to contact you via online chat.
Set aside an hour where you touch base and talk about what’s happening and ask them if they need any help with their tasks. Sometimes even the reassurance that someone in control is available if they need anything can make a world of difference during a crisis.
Take Advantage of Available Resources
Any quick Google search will pull up hundreds of resources for businesses working remotely. Zoom, Slack, and Google Calander are just three of the many available resources that businesses can use to ensure that their team working remotely goes smoothly.
Employees that are used to an office environment may miss seeing their co worker’s faces and when communication is difficult, this can sometimes help to get it back on track. Using resources like Zoom and Skype you can have meetings with your team and you can all get to see each other, similarly to in the office.
Slack and Google Calander can help you to stay more organized and pulled together during the crisis. This can help your team to feel more structured while working remotely.
