The role of leaders during and after the new Coronavirus pandemic

Nobody is prepared to manage a pandemic of global proportions alone.

Nobody is prepared to manage a pandemic of global proportions alone. We cannot function without leadership. Of all the changes we have experienced recently, including new developments in the pandemic, the main lesson we can  learn so far is the following: each one of us has their role, however, it is

fundamental that we have leadership that is capable of organizing decisions and providing a closer and more sustainable environment for people. In the IT field, such leadership has become even more necessary due to the dynamic nature of new technology advancements.

These are clearly not simple times. The COVID-19 outbreak is a matter of public health with unprecedented emotional and financial impacts – surely bigger than anything we have experienced in the 21st century. Thus, apart from the crisis, the pandemic will also highlight a shift in paradigm by changing several work models that were, up to recent times, relevant. 

For instance, we are living during a time where empathy and partnerships have become much more relevant in the lives of people. More than predicting outcomes, leaders need to offer a human vision as well as the support required to build confidence in each collaborator on their team. 

I think we have to offer alternatives to the upcoming reality of the world. After all, the only certainty is that, sooner or later, the virus will be defeated, and we will have to reestablish the structure of society. Stimulating different ideas and viewpoints is a strategy we had been applying in our companies prior to the COVID-19 outbreak and that will surely be important in rebuilding.

Overall, I believe we have been so set in our routine and familiar with an excess of options that due to the current stoppage caused by the Coronavirus on a global scale, we have fallen in a state of shock. Gaining traction will surely require even more focus and energy – something essential to leaders during these unprecedented times. It will also require a more inclusive approach and, as we have stimulated in our own group, a more collective proposal that is values people and promotes empathy. 

Today’s leader must, from my point of view, support their people and their viewpoints and offer by means of emotional intelligence the opportunity for them and the organization to resume their ongoing evolution and improvement.

It is worth noting, however, that this need to value people did not arise from the pandemic. The virus has stressed a demand that was already crucial to any company’s leadership structure. Before COVID-19 came about, surveys already indicated that most organizations needed to review their leadership as well as their collaboration and participation concepts. For the ones who experience the company’s day-by-day and team routine this feeling was already present. 

The issues related to the Coronavirus only stressed a need that had been neglected by several companies. As a result, it now seems urgent that leaders approach empathy, emotional intelligence, resilience and collaboration as vital structures within their organization. These soft skills will enable managers to understand their people’s challenges, to search for new perspectives for their teams and to transform business as a whole.

I really believe that the modern leader must seize opportunities to build partnerships, to look at its audience with care, and to establish a maximum level of collaboration among everyone pursuing the same goal. Perhaps the biggest change between the leader of the past and the leader of the future is realizing that, besides promoting confidence, it is also necessary to foster hope. 

It is now the time to inspire our teams, to take care of our people and to show how organizations can help the world. Moving forward, it will be necessary to balance forces and engage teams in rebuilding together. This will not be

possible without leaders who are aware of the greatest asset an organization possesses; its people. The professionals who will become stronger through this crisis will be the ones who manage to respond more quickly to market changes and to guide their team and companies to new growth. The challenges we are facing are huge, but the good news is that technology has anticipated this unlikely scenario and it is already possible to accelerate this transformation process by humanizing it.