What Differentiates Great Leaders in this Environment?
by Tim Butler
Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia in 1938. By the mid-to-late 1970’s, production was booming, hitting its peak in 1980. As a gesture of generosity to a group of subjects not benefitting from the profits, King Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud built a village in the coastal town of Dhahran, on the Arabian Gulf, for the Bedouins. They were semi-nomadic desert-dwellers who were and still are the oldest inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula. Completed in 1979, Khobar Towers was a large complex of 8-story buildings outfitted with all the modern conveniences. However, the Towers were never occupied. Why? Because King Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud failed to ask the right questions. The Bedouins are reliant on their sheep and couldn’t get them above the first floor!
There’s an important lesson here. What differentiates great leaders in any environment, perhaps even more critical during the current pandemic, is the ability to ask the right questions and not make assumptions. The most basic question that must be asked at every level of an organization is, “what is needed?” Before asking this fundamental question, however, it is essential to be clear about the difference between “need” and “want.” Have you ever really stopped to think about this? In economic terms, needs are essential, often for survival. Wants, on the other hand, are desirable but not necessary. The current economic crisis requires leaders to focus their time and energy, first and foremost, on what is needed.
The Coronavirus pandemic affects every organization, large and small, and makes all of us rethink how we work and live. More than ever, it’s important to check-in with employees to understand how they’re feeling, what’s working well, and what can be improved to enable them to work effectively, stay safe, and maintain their well-being. Managers at every level must ask their employees as COVID lingers, “What do you need from us at this time?” Three areas to focus on are:
Health and Safety: Perhaps the most important topic will be what the company has done, is doing, or will do to ensure the health and safety of employees. Adjustments to work policies or the work environment should be communicated only after assessing employees’ needs to ensure they can adequately care for themselves and their family members. Of course, each employee’s situation is unique. Each company’s answers will differ depending on the types of work employees do and whether or not they are working remotely, in the office, or doing a combination of both. Regardless, this question tends to be uppermost on employers’ minds.
Company Direction: It’s critical to address is where the company is headed and how that may impact employment. Does the company have a business model that is working, or will it be modified to meet changes in the current environment? What is the status of near-term expenses, including payroll and healthcare? Is the company able to get what it needs from the supply chain to operate adequately? These questions are foremost on employees’ minds as the answers could impact their employment. They want to know if there will be changes, what they will look like, and whether they will affect their jobs.
Future of Work: As the reality sets in that the pandemic will not end anytime soon, it becomes essential to develop and communicate policies and procedures and answer questions that address the longer-term work environment. This is particularly the case if a company was fortunate enough to have adapted, at least partially to a remote work environment. Employees want to know if that will continue or if they will be expected to return to the office at some point, either full-time or part-time. While questions in this area are intimately related to health and safety concerns, they are also likely to raise important issues around technology, work schedules, on-boarding and training, and the transmission of company culture.
The questions on employees’ minds will take many forms. Great leaders won’t wait for employees to ask them. Instead, they will anticipate the vital questions by asking their employees what they need from the company in three interrelated areas: “What do you need to remain healthy and feel safe as you work?” “What do you need to know about our company and your job?” “What do you need from the company to do your work in this current environment?”
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