COVID and team management

Managing a team has never been easy, and managing a team during a crisis presents additional challenges. Especially when we consider that crises occur roughly every 10 years, so many leaders lack the experience from which they could learn. The arrival of the global COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous new challenges. Remote work, changing work conditions, stress, and uncertainty have become everyday realities for many organizations. However, the Corona crisis reminded us of the need for true leaders and how crucial leadership is for an organization to overcome a crisis. In my opinion, three components are essential to mention: Leadership, communication and vision.

Leadership Matters More Than Ever!

The COVID crisis has shown how important it is to have the right leader during a crisis. During the COVID era, Crisis Headquarter Team were put in charge, and many of those individuals lacked the skills and knowledge to lead people effectively. In practice, they appeared as puppets in a poorly written drama, with the Corona monster as the main character. These puppets were guided by two forces: fear and respect toward the main character. Apart from worshipping it, they tried to resist it mildly with ineffective measures and vaccines that the monster easily overcame. Instead, what common people needed at that time was a hero, the main character. People needed a leader who would provide hope, unite us all, and courageously lead the fight against the monster.
Such leaders were absent, not only in our country but also worldwide, with few exceptions. Recall who was the prime ministers/presidents of European countries during the COVID era? To make it easier, at least try to recall the names of European leaders today. I’m sure you won’t be able to count the names of European leaders on one hand (except Orban). I even doubt you can remember the name of the President of the European Commission, who is the main leader of Europe?
That’s because we lack leaders, there are none! If we had leaders, we would have heard about them; they would have been vocal, especially during a crisis. Think back to the previous leaders who emerged during times of crisis: Churchill, de Gaulle, Tito, Franco, Stalin, not to mention the extremely negative ones.
In history books, it’s unlikely that they will single out one leader who stood out during the last crisis, the largest one since World War II. I don’t believe that history books will mention Scholz, Sanchez, Macron, Draghi, Nehammer, or Sunak as leaders who rose during the greatest crisis since World War II. Maybe books will mention Ursula von der Leyen, but those of us who witnessed the crisis will know that it was fabricated and that we didn’t have any leadership at all. I need to be fair, and I cannot compare the Corona crisis to World War II, of course. But we could have expected at least one leader to stand out.

The same applies to business leaders. In a crisis, we need leaders in the true sense of the word: strong, brave, defiant, charismatic leaders who will not accept the situation but will show the path to salvation and lead people with them.
During the COVID era, we faced remote work, a drastic drop in income (in some categories like hospitality, even to the point of closure), questionable profitability, skyrocketing raw material prices, and so on. The challenges for companies and their survival were enormous, probably like never before if we consider the modern economic period. In such a drastic crisis, drastic decisions had to be made. Decisions related to people, production, logistics, inventory, survival. But also, new business opportunities had to be found (online trade, disinfectants, food carriers, etc.) and employees needed to be motivated for rapid reorientation of the organization and production to seize these opportunities.
For drastic decisions, motivation, and rapid reorientation to capitalize on opportunities in a very uncertain future (both in business and life), strong leaders or people with strong leadership skills are needed. In times of crisis, it’s not time for “servant leadership” or similar modern leadership models tailored to organizational and employee development. In times of crisis, we rather need the classic “hard-core” leadership like Churchill, with all its pros and cons.
In times of crisis, the most important leadership traits are decisiveness, motivation, and action.

Realistic Assessment and Clear Communication!

A bad example is the COVID Crisis Headquarter team. You’ll remember that they constantly communicated fear and uncertainty. Every day, we heard about new deaths and infections, vaccines no one knew were effective or not, and measures that no one understood because there were no logical explanations. In communication, both verbal and non-verbal, as well as through staging, an atmosphere of fear and catastrophe prevailed. It happened that some people blindly believed, while others mocked them. In the end, people divided into two opposing camps, which could be quite aggressive in attacking each other.
Common mistakes that leaders make are going to two extremes depending on their character: either sugarcoating things or dramatizing them. People in the team also have characters that lean more towards one behaviour or the other (dramatizing or sugarcoating), and they will gravitate toward a leader whose communication aligns with their character, or distance themselves from a leader if their feelings tell them otherwise. This way, the team splits into two parts, those who can identify with the leader and those who feel differently.
That’s why it’s incredibly important for a leader to realistically assess the situation as a whole, analyse all weaknesses and threats, as well as strengths and opportunities. See what negative impact the situation has on the company and the people within the team, and what opportunities the same situation presents. As the old saying goes, “When one door closes, another opens.”
When the situation is objectively assessed, the leader should create a structured narrative to communicate with the team. The narrative should be objective, communicating essential and verified elements of the situation without engaging in speculation and conjecture. It’s crucial for the leader to inject seriousness into the narrative while also incorporating a glimmer of optimism in the form of opportunities that they believe are emerging.

Vision and Action!

A leader who has analysed the situation, identified threats and opportunities, can create a scenario for navigating through the crisis. Based on the scenarios, they can develop a vision to present to the team and a strategy for realizing that vision.
In times of crisis, people within the team experience fear and insecurity. In such situations, reactions range from panic to paralysis. Even leaders are not immune to these reactions. In such situations, leaders are often seen either paralyzed, avoiding all decisions and responsibilities, or in a panic, making contradictory decisions, giving senseless instructions, and responding and communicating inappropriately with their team.
Leaders who have been through several crises will find it easier to rise above the situation and effectively lead people because, if nothing else, they have the experience that ‘after the storm, the sun shines’.
However, there is a recipe that can help leaders without crisis experience or those who want to navigate the next crisis more smoothly. This recipe will enable a more composed view of things and provide the team with hope and motivation to move forward.
First, it’s necessary to take some time for oneself and thoroughly analyse the situation, as I explained earlier in the text. This is crucial to allow the leader to form their own stance on the situation and clarify the direction in which they need to act to avoid or mitigate negative consequences while keeping the team efficient and united. Once thoughts are organized and there is certainty about what needs to be done, a person gains peace, becomes coherent, and can act with focus. This is incredibly important to avoid paralysis, incoherent strategies, contradictory instructions, and so on, which would lead to additional stress, inefficiency, and the breakdown of the team.
Second, once the leader knows what needs to be done, they must craft a story that will be clear and motivating for the team. This story is called a vision, around which the team will rally and gain trust, as well you’ll get needed ‘extra mile’ from people. The key to getting people to latch onto the vision is how it is told. It’s crucial to create an electrified, intimate atmosphere and to present the vision with unwavering belief and passion. People in the team must believe in the vision. Another thing that provides strength is the leader’s promise of a tangible, brighter tomorrow if the agreed-upon actions are carried out. For example, try gathering people in smaller spaces than are usually used for such meetings during important announcements. The goal is to remove physical distance, have everyone closer to each other, and for the speaker not to be on a stage behind a desk but within the same circle. It’s akin to the atmosphere in a locker room when coaches motivate the team during halftime.
Third, action. Everything falls apart if it remains just a story without real action. Since most people are paralyzed in a crisis, the best path is for the leader to lead the team like William Wallace in “Braveheart.” This is the best and most efficient way if you want the team to follow your vision. Choose a project where you, even if it’s not in your job description, take the lead and execute it efficiently. For example, if the company is launching a new technology product, and the team is very sceptical that customers will adopt it, personally take the lead on selling that product and demonstrate how it’s done. Everyone will follow enthusiastically. Action is crucial for moving toward the vision and overcoming the crisis.

Being a leader in a crisis is not a pleasant job, and not everyone can be a leader in a crisis. Leaders have different characters, and they are more useful in some situations than others.
Some leaders excel in situations where they need to lead people into the impossible (for example, developing a completely unfamiliar market with strong competition), but they are less effective when it comes to building a stable and profitable organization. In other words, the character suitable for breaking through enemy territory is not the same as the one suitable for rebuilding bridges and rehabilitating the territory afterward. Therefore, times of crisis require leaders with characters who can lead with vision and example, are prone to improvisation, and have the persistence to keep going despite insurmountable situations. Crisis experience is certainly valuable.
A crisis provides fantastic opportunities for leaders to showcase their best qualities and gain their moment of glory if they desire it.

About the Author
Ivan Cevra is a business management expert with a wealth of experience in the corporate sector. After completing his graduate studies at the Faculty of Economics, he continued his education and earned an MBA degree from the prestigious IEDC Bled. With over 20 years of experience working in corporations, Ivan has emerged as a successful leader in executive positions.