As coaches, we are trained to have conversations without directing…. or, in the case of right now, without knowing the future. Maybe this is why it’s been easy to start coaching conversations.

A lot of what I have been doing is helping leaders make sense themselves of what they are doing and how it’s working, or not.

Coachees are asking me to help them:

• Take control of what they control

• Choose what to decide and when

• Structure their thinking

• Avoid speculation

• Get the insight/facts/opinions they need

• Be adaptable and sustainable in their interactions, to get people aligned and pulling in the same direction.

From my assessment of what the winners are doing and based on my research into crisis leadership and observation right now, here are some of my insights into innovation in leadership from the 26 CEOs/investors/senior leaders I have coached so far during lock-down. Certain mindsets, habits, interactions, and decision making seem to be proving effective. But ask me again in a few weeks and I might have a refined answer. Time will tell!

1.    Mindsets

Being in the right frame of mind to face the ongoing reality is vital to survival and maintaining a healthy atmosphere in the workplace. And leaders, during these times of crisis, are role models for others to follow.

• Create a mindset of acceptance to get to a position of empowered agency.

• Stop predicting, projecting and speculating. We don’t know what will happen.

• Choose “deliberate calm,” detach from the fraught situation and think clearly about how to navigate it.

• See self as a resource to deploy – don’t burn it out.

• Be valuable - not delving into the pitfall of "every-man-for-himself", and neither "internalising the world's problems". Think about creating value together in every interaction.

• Frame self as valuable – “I can make a positive impact on my business and the community”.

• Keep questioning the optimism/realism balance in your mind, get input from others to stay balanced and avoid lurches. (“bounded optimism”)

• Where possible, observe lock-down as an opportunity to step back and reflect on self and realign to your aspirations.

2.    Habits

What worked pre-lockdown, may never work again. It’s important to adapt to the ‘new’ normal and amend or even change old habits to new ones to meet your existing and ongoing challenges in their new form.

• Simplify processes, governance and operating models – cut the faff.

• Avoid “productivity porn” (especially on LinkedIn).

• Curate information and news sources consciously and with limits.

• Use confident but flexible language. E.g. stop saying “emerging ideas” or “long-term plan” and start saying “best current view”.

• Be hyper-aware of where energy is going (e.g. draining time into whingey under-performer) and consciously re-direct it.

• Drop pre-conceived expectations on who should do what. Start with tasks, divvy them up, throw selves into whatever is most valuable (a reversal of “only do what only I can do as CEO” and more of a move back towards the 80s mantra of “don’t ask someone else to do what I won’t to myself” – not all the way though).

• Pay attention to the impact on culture of decisions, and how they are being made and communicated.

• Cross stuff off the “to do” list as soon as it’s done well enough or is no longer a priority – with as much gusto as creating new activities and solutions.

• Capture how “make arounds” due to Covid-19 are working and could stay permanent.

3.    Interactions

A small number of the interactions you have with people during this period will make the lasting difference – both in terms of outcomes, and also what people will remember about your leadership in the crisis. You can choose how you want to behave in these times and which into interactions you want to put your energy.

• Mix up communication channels e.g. 1:1, small group, seminar over video, with walking/sat still phone, sometimes stand.

• Rotate leadership of regular team meetings

• Everyone loves transparency. Even if nothing new to say, re-align on the direction and principles regularly with teams.

• Escape the status quo when engaging with people – drop assumptions/expectations about when and what channel to engage, but respectfully ask.

• Talk straight even when everyone is being nice (esp. important on Boards), laying out the questions and options clearly. NB The Overton window has narrowed in many communities about what it’s ok to say e.g. re: life/livelihood trade-offs.

• Demand and make it normal that people make requests for help from each other. E.g. standing final agenda item on team calls.

• Celebrate and acknowledge innovations – make it normal to share successes and new ways of working related to the changing external circumstances.

• Crisis squads/teams should be issue based – form new ones easily as new stuff arises. Think hard about how to incentivise and motivate people without money.

• Where possible, request Board members give more hands-on help e.g. commercial contract re-negotiation, financial modelling, and less challenge of leaders.

• Where necessary, create various contingency plans based on the latest relevant and available information impacting your industry and market

• Capture and where possible, assess all foreseeable risks in detail.

4.    Decision-making

Being ready to make those ‘hard’ choices and decisions will be even more challenging in these times because of the even higher levels of ambiguity leaders are facing. This typically means working through two paradoxical actions: Being comfortable with not having all the answers and taking steps to reduce the uncertainty.  

• Choose to make hard choices. Choose the choice. (e.g. firing)

• Decide WHEN to make decisions before you start making them. For some, hold off, keep multiple options open until a specific time, on purpose.

• Set clear priorities and utterly transparent decision-rights (this is not a routine emergency).

• Create a vision for a range of time horizons – 1 week, 1 month, 6 months, 12 months etc.

• Focus on scenario planning with inbuilt adaptability. Don’t focus on speculation.

• Limit how many scenarios to look at and spot the no-regret moves and priorities quickly across them all.

• Use current information (not projections) in decision-making.

• Think realistically about your business’s role in the upcoming wave of M+A

These behaviours, attitudes and actions, whilst many may not be new, are proving to be even more relevant and needed as we move out of lock-down and return to a different ‘business-as-usual’. The capacity to better deal with change and remain innovative starts with the leader themselves, and they then become the role model and enabler for others to look to and follow.

I believe with the 26 CEOs/investors/senior leaders have benefitted from making sense of their reality and choosing to focus on a small number of mindsets, habits, interactions and decision-making.

I’m curious to ask similar likeminded coaches, “What insights are you seeing as you support your clients during these times?”

Connect with Katy Tuncer and read her other posts published on the good coach.

Katy Tuncer is the APECS accredited Executive Coach and former McKinsey consultant who founded Horizon37. Her services include: Individual and Team Coaching, Strategy-led Facilitation, Leadership Training Courses, Workshops and Seminars.