5 Ways To Accelerate Leadership Reengagement After COVID-19

Jennifer Eggers

As the debate on when to ease restrictions wages on and we all get tired of hearing about this ‘new normal’ we can’t seem to define, many leaders are struggling with a lack of things they can control about their organization and team’s future and how to ensure leadership reengagement when this is over. I hear, ‘we just don’t know’ from clients multiple times a day, usually followed by a sigh. It is frustrating at best for those of us who wish we could do something to make it better. And it is paralyzing at its worst because not doing anything at all is not the answer. There are critical steps leaders can (and perhaps must) take to plan to reengage leaders.

Here is our five-step process for accelerating leadership reengagement. And the best part? You can start right now – in your PJ’s and bunny slippers. Every one of these steps can be done with your team or organization’s leaders and these conversations can begin virtually right now.

1. Assess COVID crisis adaptations.

It is not possible to go back to ‘normal’, but to move forward, we must identify what has changed. Just like there were shifts in air travel after 9/11, there will be shifts in how we work after COVID. We may not know what they will be, but you can anticipate some of them (at least near term) now. To begin leadership reengagement, identify these for your organization. It might be helpful to think in terms of short and long-term as they will likely change over time. To get started, invite your team to discuss which adaptations have worked well and which have not…and what can be done to improve them.

2. Review your business strategy.

At first glance, it might be tempting to assume that your business strategy is solid enough to continue as is. A lot of thought went into it, and it seems overwhelming to make changes now. This can be problematic because while you may be able to stay the course, in many cases, your customers won’t. Before you can determine if your strategy needs to change, take a good look at your customers situation post-crisis. If they are not in a position to work with you the way they did before, your strategy may need to change. To get started, engage leaders in conversations about customer preferences and behaviors and build a timeframe based on what has been postponed or delayed. Think through the implications of how you interact with customers and how that may change your strategy.

3. Create a strategic agenda and priorities.

One of the most critical things we can do to reengage leaders is to take time with our team to create a shared agenda and align around priorities. As you figure out what is changing in your strategy, make sure that everyone is clear on the capabilities required to drive the new strategy. Getting people on the same page with critical priorities will avoid confusion and posturing to drive a potentially outdated agenda. You might not be able to dive into this in detail right now, but you can lean in to setting time aside to plan and lead this conversation as soon as you know what needs to change. It may not be ideal, but this can begin virtually.

4. Understand emerging culture.

Once your organization is back in the swing of things, it is unlikely that your corporate culture will remain the same. We have met with CEO’s who, a month ago, said their team could never be successful virtually because face time was so important. That is not the case anymore. Some teams have survivors’ guilt where others have been furloughed. As furloughed employees return, attention to this will move you through it faster. There are many cultural implications. You can start anticipating and engaging leaders in discussing implications for you right now.

5. Align organizational structure.

While this one is last in the sequence, you may need to address it earlier. Your leaders must understand what organizational capabilities are critical to deliver in the short-term and assess your structure to ensure that it is set up to deliver them as efficiently and effectively as possible. Depending on the impact, you may need to build a phased approach to ramp up as the economy comes back. Setting aside time to do this now and engaging an objective third-party partner to help is something you can engage leaders in right now.