Melinda Fouts, Ph.D., of Success Starts With You, author of Cognitive Enlightenment and awarded Top International Coach 2020 by the IAOTP.
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There is a new type of being stuck that is preventing organizations from discovering a new paradigm since Covid-19. Adding to being stuck is a desire within some for life to return to how it was prior to the pandemic. As the months turn into years, and Covid-19 is still here, we have to find a new path, a new way forward. One of the biggest issues organizations are facing is whether to work remotely or not, resulting in an internal gridlock between the leaders and the employees. Let’s explore what is preventing spearheading a new paradigm.
Covid-19 threw us all into survival mode, and one of the causes of this gridlock is that many are still in that mode. The resistance to returning to work may stem from the need to feel safe. It’s a defense mechanism, as employees may feel safer at home. As a result, many employees are resisting returning to the office — high-profile examples include the open letter Apple employees penned to their leadership team — and many are even considering quitting if forced to return.
Another potential contributor to the gridlock is that leaders are spending a lot of time focused on the bottom line, which is understandable given that many businesses have suffered globally. However, myopically focusing on the bottom line and return on investment can paralyze leaders or have them making decisions out of fear. In turn, this often squelches innovation and leaves leaders feeling unempowered. So, what can leaders do?
Evaluate your leadership approach. For starters, leaders need to make a seismic shift and adjust to a new reality, first by reevaluating themselves. Everything is changing rapidly with great complexity. There needs to be an emphasis on emotional intelligence and using soft skills to manifest the culture you want.
Leaders can start this process by investing in their emotional intelligence. This is about understanding your emotions while being able to read the emotional states of others. I offered advice on how to do this in one of my recent articles, “Conscious Leadership And The Overview Effect”: “Once you manage your emotions, you can take a step back and read the room. Observe body language, tone and how people appear to be feeling. If you are in a meeting, try to determine the emotional tone of the room in general. When you do this, you are connecting on a different level and getting outside of yourself.”
Lead with empathy. Empathy is one of the biggest ways to demonstrate understanding and let employees feel heard. Addressing fears often can lower the resistance and can be a catalyst for change. What can you do to be more empathetic? Taking a deep dive into their fears and concerns creates an emotional connection. When people feel an emotional connection, they are often more vested, more open-minded to changes and drawn back into being part of the team.
Rethink what it means to collaborate. When it comes to collaboration, leaders need to adopt a mindset toward higher levels of collaboration and expand their ability to connect. To create high-performance collaboration, inspire purpose and intention and be creative with how you work in hybrid teams. All of this requires crystal clear clarity as to why the team collaboration is important.
Be sure you really understand the problem. In a study by McKinsey, most workers said: “They want to feel valued by their organizations and managers. They want meaningful—though not necessarily in-person—interactions, not just transactions.” Leaders may seem out of touch, which could suggest a lack of listening and a lack of collaboration. In a Business Insider article referencing the McKinsey research, it substantiates this disconnect, stating, “Employers think people are quitting over compensation and respond with quick fixes like pay raises and ‘thank you’ bonuses — but what employees most want is to feel appreciated and a sense of community.” A sense of community is about establishing interpersonal relationships, collaboration and connections. Try to connect with your employees via one-to-one meetings or use anonymous surveys to gather company-wide data. If you’re a leader in this situation, try reflecting on recent departures and ask yourself the following questions:
• How did you miss what was at the root of the attrition?
• How could you have been more in touch with what was really going on with your employees?
• What changes do you need to make to connect better?
• What mindset do you need to adopt to create greater connection and collaboration?
• How are you getting in your own way?
• What do you need to do differently?
Considering these questions can help leaders get a pulse on what is really going on with themselves before trying to fix the problem at hand. Self-awareness through self-reflection is not easy. The gridlock is twofold, one within yourself and the other between you and your employees.
A gridlock is complicated, and moving from a standstill back into the flow can take time and effort. Dismantling your inner gridlock can help move you into accepting and incorporating a new paradigm that you can then spearhead into a corporate shift.
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