Leading Together

1 August 2020

In such times of uncertainty, good leadership can be the difference between calm & crisis. This has never felt truer than now, as the world responds to the fast changing & ever growing treats of Covid-19. All around us change is happening with a willingness &enthusiasm often described as unprecedented. International borders have shut, the economy is tanking, many businesses are struggling & the impact is & will continue to be enormous. It is also varied by the range of emotions such a situation can trigger.

This is where good leadership becomes important. I would suggest good leaders are informed by a range of traits which include versatility, transparency, flexibility, accountability & humour. These are coupled with such skills as the ability to ‘deep dive’, to give & receive 360 constructive criticism & to be ‘values based, outcomes driven’.

Allow me to add two more which have appeared particularly valid recently. Agility is absolutely necessary; whether personally getting up to speed with technology & working from home, or making bolder decisions more quickly with imperfect information & knowing best guesses will have to be good enough.

Also, now more than ever, a focus on the collective is imperative. Good leaders are maintained by the will of the communities they guide.

In such times as Covid-19, leadership success more than ever rest squarely on the strengths of people, those who can support, advise & action the priorities to advance the collective good in ways which matter & resonate with a different world.

Together, we rely on each other to boost morale, inject humour & lightness where appropriate, & take care of each other & ourselves. Leader, or follower, adviser or supporter, we are all in this together.

Kenn Butler