We are living in a special tipping moment in history. The “new corona-virus” has an enormous impact on our society. Cities en countries are in lock down. We are flooded with data on how the curve is flattening. And to flatten the curve we ask people to change their behaviours. That is never easy.
Why is it difficult
- We do not like change. We prefer the status quo. We are experiencing feelings of loss. We cannot go to restaurants, concerts, our office, …
- The changes happen fast. Many people had to change their habits overnight. People who had never worked from home, had to do so and find themselves 100% at home, with the partner and children. Restaurants and shops had to close. They were not prepared for the shut down and a digital awakening afterwards.
- There is no certainty about the end. Even though the curve seems to be flattening, politicians and virologists warn for loosening measures too soon. They warn that if we would do that, the pandemic would increase its strength again. But this uncertainty is very hard to carry. On a sunny day, thousands of people leave their homes – in Belgium that is still allowed – and they flock together.
- What governments ask people to do is unnatural. Social distancing does not lie in our nature. And the digital ersatz does not provide sufficient social cues to compensate for the loss of social exchanges.
- But not only our need for affiliation and belonging is not met. The measures give us a reduced sense of autonomy and competence. We are confined in our houses, but also confined in our habits. People feel less competent in this period.
- People underestimate the risk. They are biased towards optimism and think it will not happen to them. Even after weeks in lockdown, people are still neglecting the social distancing.
A second Curve
We seem to be flattening the curve. But after the medical curve, comes the curve of well-being. Being in confinement leads to boredom, irritation, fear, problems of concentration, loss of sleep and may lead to depression in the end, as shown in a literature review of the Lancet. As the pandemic continues we will see more psychological problems arise. And that is the second curve. We need to flatten that curve too.
As we have no influence on duration, we need to focus on the factors that will moderate the negative psychological reactions. And that is support and communication.
Only support and communication will flatten the next curve.
The role of the leader
The Edelman research shows that people look at their employer for information. This is a unique opportunity for organizations and leaders to take a role that they often could not take. By delivering the service of compassionate communication leaders can build trust in these difficult times. That sounds counterintuitive because people are expected to lose trust.
Now is the time to build trust.
People look up to see how their leaders behave and derive indications for the trust they can have. These are their current questions.
- Is my leader trustworthy?
- Is my organization loyal towards me?
- Is there a future for me in this organization?
- Is there a future for this organization?
The Lost Year?
3 weeks ago I wrote an article on Linkedin about the Lost Year. We must expect and accept that 2020 will be a lost year for many organizations. It will be difficult to compensate the lost time and reach the financial targets. Business Leaders I talk to know this, but they fear their investors or senior management will be less tolerant and the bill will be presented later on.
Business leaders fear they will be presented with the bill once the measures are scaled down.
Let’s not forget that those targets were made last year during the budget round or even longer ago during a strategic exercise. But that was an other era. Today we are going through the biggest shake-up of the world since World War II. How could we possibly think that this is just going to be a break and that it will be possible to catch up within a fiscal year?
And so it will require leadership to also take another perspective. One that is fair, and kind, and empathic and reciprocal. Leaders need to think hard about what they would do.
What Leaders Can Do
The crisis is a given. Nobody is responsible for it. But we are responsible for how we handle the crisis. The general advice is not to rush. Organisations that started laying off people in the first two weeks into the crisis, will pay another price once things get better again. They will have lost the trust of their people. And people will adapt their behaviour accordingly.
The first output of leadership must be trust
So when leaders decide something, they will have to think about the impact on trust. A trust impact analysis is due. Because if companies decide to reduce their workforce – they need to think about the impact on the morale of people. Especially when the organization is profitable, leaders need to be very careful with tough measures. The focus should lie more on safety and security than on EBITDA, more on retention of employees and customers than on growth.
How leaders Can Inspire Trust
Leaders are trustworthy when people experience them as competent, loyal and integer. But in these times, competence is not so stable. Leaders are no virologists who know what to do. They are confronted with as much uncertainty as any other human being.
Today people want decisions and so directive leadership seems to be the most appropriate way to deal with the situation. Yes, being directive is appropriate when it’s about the rules and methods to fight the virus and keep people safe and healthy. In this case, the directiveness is aimed at protecting people and prohibiting people to act unsafely. It’s a typical case of the use of power in the interest of those who do not have power.
Leaders who have to enforce measures need to do two things to protect their trustworthiness.
- They need to explain clearly why the organization has taken these measures. Some people do not understand the risk and they do not see the link between going to the men’s room seperately and the virus. Leaders need to explain the rules patiently, repeatedly, kindly but also emphatically.
- They need to apply those measures on themselves. When Boris Johnson, or Donald Trump questioned the effectiveness of social distancing, they became untrustworthy (although some people want to believe them). They showed that they did not want to be associated with an unpleasant message.
- They need to create an environment where people feel safe enough to help and enforce the measures. As leaders are also human beings they might make errors and transgress. So they need to make sure that people know that they have the right and the obligation to address the issue to the leader who is in fault, without repercussions. They can do that by showing vulnerability and admitting that it is not easy for them to adapt to this new reality.
Everybody Matters
The red thread is that leaders have to act as if everybody matters. That might sound strange but think about it. “Everybody matters” means that we expect from everybody to contribute to get through this crisis. It also means that we must support people in their current and future needs. Everybody matters suggests a reciprocity based on trust that generates cooperative behaviour, agility and leadership.
If people experience that they matter and that what they do matters, they will be much more resilient. and less prone to develop mental problems. There’s nothing worse than feeling that what one does is not important. That’s why “everybody matters” is a basic attitude for leaders who want to build relationships with their team members and lead their team into the future, based on trust.
Everybody matters.
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Find out how leaders can build trust in our next Webinar.
Otolith organizes a series of free webinars to help leaders to lead through the crisis. We announce a third session: Everybody Matters. How leaders can build trust.
On April 24th you can join a webinar on how a leader can build trust in these difficult times. We restrict the webinar to maximum 40 people. This webinar is on invitation only, and if you register without invitation, your attendance must be confirmed by Otolith.
This webinar is oriented to business and HR leaders working within an organization. Maximum 2 people from the same organization can join.
