Management: reinventing yourself during a crisis
“ You will always have your dreams to reinvent the world that was taken from you.”
Yasmina Khadra, The Attack
The Jean-Jaurès Foundation publishes a study titled “Is Management Dead?”, which suggests there will be a before and after COVID-19 for managers, who will now need to implement a management style that is “collective, humble, and empathetic.”
The first challenge for management is to listen and re-mobilize, explaining what will change within the company and assigning roles in this new system. There is also significant communication and dialogue work to do with employees who were mobilized during the crisis, as well as those placed on partial unemployment who may have felt non-essential, to re-engage them.
Managers must also consider the desire for autonomy among employees who enjoyed working independently and without a physically close supervisor. This aspiration for empowerment may lead some to pursue freelance opportunities, as shown by an INSEE study highlighting a sharp increase in business creation in France: +59.6% in May and +38.2% in June.
Another trend to account for is the enthusiasm for remote work, supported by 75% of affected employees. This requires reinventing ways of working remotely in new spaces, such as coworking spaces, regional branches, or available offices—as Accor has done with WOJO, launching 1,200 coworking spaces in Accor hotels by 2022. The key is that these spaces are close to employees’ homes.
Management during a crisis: key challenges for leaders
Be more innovative and agile to adapt to an increasingly V.U.C.A. world (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous).
Respond to employees’ growing demand for “well-being” and “freedom”, due to social distancing and confinement, as well as a desire for greater respect (#MeToo #BlackLivesMatter #Care).
Manage burnout, as employees balance childcare, rising anxiety, and fatigue from screen-based work, needing space to recharge and perform.
Embody a more empathetic, care-oriented leadership posture, while pivoting the company toward customer-centricity and fostering digital connections among teams, clients, and partners.
Key steps to achieve this
Share experiences to encourage expression. Launch meetings with a personal and/or professional “weather check” to account for everyone’s energy level, which is strategic for advancing the team or meeting.
Learn from experiences: Use vacation time to reflect (“incubate”) on what has been lived, and implement a transformation action plan. My advice: take notes, observe inspiring role models, and prepare your transformation storytelling for the return to work.
Clarify your vision and give meaning, as Alexandre Bompard did at Carrefour with organic products and customer-centricity, or Emmanuel Faber at Danone with a mission-driven company. By clarifying and clearly communicating their vision, these leaders establish the foundation for renewal in their organizations.
Help managers adopt a more care-oriented posture, possibly adding a “to be caring” item to their “to-do list.”
Reinforce collaborative values by creating a strong, inclusive identity that allows sharing and solving complex problems through collective intelligence.
Mix levels and functions—the key to “Teslime.” For example, digital co-development sessions work well. The more diversity within the company (gender, role, seniority, experience), the more effective collective intelligence will be.
Reinvent SMART objectives: Considering how COVID-19 accelerated digitalization and Elon Musk’s results with Tesla and SpaceX, it may be worth setting occasional “unrealistic” or commando-style objectives to challenge teams.
Redefine managers’ roles and postures: Companies must value and mobilize all team potential by adopting new managerial postures, managing “brilliant jerks” effectively, and protecting at-risk employees.
Acquire new skills required for these postures through continuous training. Implementing both hard and soft skills programs is essential for everyone to find their place in the new system.
And you, what is your priority for reinventing yourself?
#reinvent #leadership #collectiveintelligence #upskilling