Four Signs Of A Good Leader In Turbulent Times

Companies may also need to adapt to a changing workforce

A leader is defined as a powerful person who controls or influences others. They may lead small groups, large organizations or entire countries.¹ In fact, leaders come in all ages and exist in all positions. Beginning in kindergarten, even young children demonstrate leadership qualities like volunteering to help. The question is what leadership trends are critical for success?

The year 2020 has been eclipsed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, the United States leads the world in the number of Covid-19 cases. The lack of leadership in the Trump administration has been cited as a significant factor in the spread of the pandemic.² Yes, there has been an impressive race for the vaccine, but there has been no comprehensive plan based on medical evidence to prevent the spread of the virus like wearing masks, social distancing, testing, tracing, and isolation.

The office of the president is a powerful position. A true leader in that position would set partisan politics aside and would embrace scientific facts. Despite this lack of leadership in the administration, there have been several individuals working with the Trump administration who have spoken out as true leaders to tell the public the truth. Dr. Anthony Fauci is one of those leaders.

According to Executive Coach Joel Garfinkle, “In times of crisis, people gravitate toward leaders who exude executive presence — those who command authority, make bold decisions, speak candidly, and drive toward solutions…For the US, Dr. Anthony Fauci has been that leader. He’s decisive, self-assured, adept at communicating across a broad audience, and immensely credible.”³ Unfortunately, we have seen time and time again where his voice has been silenced by literally excluding him from meetings and publicly refuting his warnings.⁴

Corporate America should take note of the failure to lead in the Trump administration. The results of the 2020 presidential election was a clear referendum on Trump’s failure to control or influence others. A majority of voters were not convinced that Trump could successfully lead the country out of the pandemic and effectively rebound the economy.

Corporate America should also take note of leadership qualities from people like Dr. Fauci. So what makes Dr. Fauci a leader? First of all, Dr. Fauci puts the interests of others before his own self interests. Secondly, he communicates with honesty whether the news is good or bad. He does not pretend to have all the answers and he admits when he is wrong. And finally, he adapts to fast-paced evolving research.

So how can these leadership qualities be incorporated into Corporate America? The commonly used human resource phrase “tone at the top” is applicable here. The CEO or top position of any company must operate for the benefit of the whole, must communicate honestly, must admit when he or she is wrong, and must be flexible.

CEOs occupy a unique position in an organization. They have incredible amounts of information and they hold immense power. It may be tempting to take advantage of that inside information and use it to your own personal advantage. We see this type of behavior in organizations where CEOs or other leaders have been accused or convicted of insider trading where they precipitously sell off stock before adverse information is made public.⁵ A true leader will not only refrain from illegal activities like insider trading, but they will also focus their efforts on remedying any adverse trends facing the organization. For instance, several companies facing the realities of the pandemic like Facebook, Twitter, and Square, have enhanced benefit programs allowing their workforce to continue working from home for extended periods of time and even for an indefinite amount of time.⁶

Communicating positive news is easy, but it is never easy to communicate difficult or disappointing news. A good leader understands the importance of timely and effectively reporting both good and bad news to employees and external stakeholders. Honest communication builds trust and loyalty. Effective leaders understand the importance of being forthright and proactive. Just look at the iconic situation with Enron where senior executives covered up negative accounting issues quarter after quarter until the truth could no longer be hidden. Today, regulatory bodies like the SEC safeguard against those types of scandals, but the best companies honestly report their quarterly earnings even in the absence of regulatory enforcement. These companies clearly understand the importance of full transparency.⁷

No one is right one hundred percent of the time. Companies make bad investments, managers hire poor performing employees, and CEO’s fail to anticipate trends on the horizon. But the sign of a good leader is recognizing the problem, admitting the mistake, and taking the proper corrective action. The road to success is paved with failures, and properly handling those failures is the sign of a good leader.

In today’s turbulent times, the most important leadership quality is being able to adapt to changing environments. The onset of Covid-19 is undoubtedly the biggest challenge facing companies in 2020. The ability to adapt to the pandemic can make or break a company. For example, CEOs who are able to provide employees with the necessary equipment to work from home and who allow flexible working schedules will be far more successful than companies who cling to traditional working arrangements performed from the office during the regular schedule of 9:00 to 5:00.

Successful leaders will also be able to adjust products and services to meet customer needs. In order to thrive during turbulent times like a pandemic, companies must, “Assess your customers’ needs, shift your focus toward existing service lines that meet them, and establish new offerings to fill in any gaps.”⁸

Companies may also need to adapt to a changing workforce. According to Dale Rose, president of 3D Group in California, the pandemic “may accelerate the silver tsunami of retirements of senior leaders, requiring younger employees to take on leadership roles.”⁹ This will be a unique challenge for most companies and a great opportunity to include leadership training in the portfolio of talent management tools!

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