Q: What advice do you have for business and community leaders who are faced with the challenge of leading teams in times of economic uncertainty and uncharted territory like we’re seeing with the current pandemic?
-Frank Bourree
A: This may sound crass but the pandemic is going to illuminate the true colours of leaders. It is a generation-defining moment, one many leaders are ill-equipped to handle. Why? Their leadership style previously centered on power and hierarchy. What we need more than ever is its opposite. Leaders need to not only help “flatten the curve,” they have to flatten the team and rid themselves of the trappings that power purports to serve.
First, leaders must demonstrate empathy. No one has been through a pandemic before. No one has experienced the uncertainty that organizations are going through. Leaders must empathize with team members—emotionally, cognitively and sympathetically—as it is the team that will be looking to them to appreciate their personal situation. Empathy is the opposite of power.
Second, leaders must trust and continuously engage their team. This is not a time to be barking orders or screaming from the hilltops. As remote work becomes the norm, leaders have to trust that team members want to be productive and move forward on their objectives. Trust them to do what’s right in the best interest of the organization. Equally important, a leader must continuously engage with each individual far more frequently to understand how things are going, what ideas they may have, and how the leader can provide assistance. The more frequent and informal the check-ins, the more that sort of trust begins to develop.
I often say that in every shadow lurks an opportunity to shine the light. The pandemic is casting one nail-biting and ominous shadow, but so too in that shadow lies the greatest opportunity of all time. It’s time for leaders to shine a glowing, vivacious and helpful light on the people they lead.
PS. Launching September 29, Dan's 4th book: LEAD. CARE. WIN. How to Become a Leader Who Matters. You can pre-order now via Amazon.
More information about the book can be found on the microsite.
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We are so proud to have had you at our event. Your talk was a big hit. It moved us. We can’t thank you enough.
Malin Björnell, Salesforce
Dan challenged us to have clarity of purpose, both as individuals and as an organization. He related inspiring stories drawing on his experience in business, technology and academia. As he said, ‘There is no ownership without belonging.’
Christian Pantel, D2L
Fantastic engaging talk for our global partner summit. Thank you so much, Dan!
Barb Kinnard, CEO Response Biomedical Corp
Dan not only brought his presentation to life with his charisma, but also content, style and presentation finesse. Our members were especially interested in his thought provoking and top of mind topic on the future of work and how we’re going to be leading the next generation of leaders.
Cheryl Goodwin, CPA
Dan is a conference organizer’s ideal speaker. Not only did he inspire and energize our group, but he also masterfully adapted his content so it resonated with the audience and our conference theme. As a bonus, Dan is able to nimbly navigate to adjust to a reduced time slot when other speakers went over time without sacrificing the impact of his session.
Director and General Counsel
Dan accomplished what we set out to do, which was not only to be inspirational, but also to leave everyone with tools and food for thought / self-reflection to improve their personal and professional lives.
Q: What advice do you have for business and community leaders who are faced with the challenge of leading teams in times of economic uncertainty and uncharted territory like we’re seeing with the current pandemic?
-Frank Bourree
A: This may sound crass but the pandemic is going to illuminate the true colours of leaders. It is a generation-defining moment, one many leaders are ill-equipped to handle. Why? Their leadership style previously centered on power and hierarchy. What we need more than ever is its opposite. Leaders need to not only help “flatten the curve,” they have to flatten the team and rid themselves of the trappings that power purports to serve.
First, leaders must demonstrate empathy. No one has been through a pandemic before. No one has experienced the uncertainty that organizations are going through. Leaders must empathize with team members—emotionally, cognitively and sympathetically—as it is the team that will be looking to them to appreciate their personal situation. Empathy is the opposite of power.
Second, leaders must trust and continuously engage their team. This is not a time to be barking orders or screaming from the hilltops. As remote work becomes the norm, leaders have to trust that team members want to be productive and move forward on their objectives. Trust them to do what’s right in the best interest of the organization. Equally important, a leader must continuously engage with each individual far more frequently to understand how things are going, what ideas they may have, and how the leader can provide assistance. The more frequent and informal the check-ins, the more that sort of trust begins to develop.
I often say that in every shadow lurks an opportunity to shine the light. The pandemic is casting one nail-biting and ominous shadow, but so too in that shadow lies the greatest opportunity of all time. It’s time for leaders to shine a glowing, vivacious and helpful light on the people they lead.
PS. Launching September 29, Dan's 4th book: LEAD. CARE. WIN. How to Become a Leader Who Matters. You can pre-order now via Amazon.
More information about the book can be found on the microsite.
