2020 was quite the year for everyone. It took many people and businesses on a wild ride. Leaders were faced with some of the most challenging times of their careers. There were many lessons to be learned from all the events that took place with the pandemic. One lesson that many people had to step up to was leadership. This article will discuss five of the top leadership lessons that people had to learn in 2020.
1. Time Is Short
Take advantage of the opportunities that come your way. You never know when things will take a turn and you will no longer have the chance. Take leadership of your life and make things happen.
2. Working Remotely Is Valuable
Many companies haven’t ever worked remotely before the pandemic. They’ve had to dive headfirst into remotely working this past year. They have found that it is a valuable tool that can be utilized when needed.
It is very different than working side by side with your coworkers. The daily interaction is minimal in most cases. This isolation must be addressed in order to keep everyone engaged and up to date. Companies have found a way to still stay in contact using many of the technological platforms like Zoom or video chats.
3. Show Empathy For Your Employees and Leaders
People have faced many ups and downs throughout 2020/2021. Leadership roles have been more difficult to perform. Everyone has had to go through many changes not only at work but also at home. It has been more important than ever to express empathy to your employees. Working remotely makes it harder to be empathetic. However, leaders must do their best to recognize, understand, and share the thoughts and feelings of others.
4. Think Outside The Box
Being given time off of work in many cases has caused people to have a reduction in salary. But, their financial needs may not have changed and has caused us all to think outside of the box to make ends meet.
The good thing that this has led to is that people have been able to be more creative and pursue things they didn’t have time for or didn’t take time for in the past. Trying new things is easier now.
5. Interact With Others More
The pandemic has left a lot of people in isolation and feeling alone. When people are so used to seeing their coworkers, friends, and family regularly this can take a big toll on them. It has had a bigger effect on people than they would have thought or imagined. Even as we recover from the pandemic and try to get back to “normal” our interactions have been affected. Physical and emotional interaction is important for people’s well-being. Stay connected.
By applying the lessons learned over the past year plus, leaders will be better prepared for other challenges and opportunities that come along.