The Pandemic’s Big Impact on Leaders

“Changing the tires while driving” and the benefits of leadership coaching

I found a 2020 study by Harvard McLean’s Institute of Coaching into the pandemic-era impacts to leaders, leadership styles, and organizations fascinating, although not totally unexpected. Great pressure often leads to transformation.

We have never asked more of our leaders than we do now, largely due to the immense disruption the COVID-19 pandemic created. The pandemic had a profound impact on our leaders, causing them to reexamine their values and their ways of leading, which transformed their sense of identity. The social justice movement further deepened self-reflections and opened up complex topics not previously discussed much at work. Leaders shifted their values, changing what they considered most important in organizational life. Less traditional, less performance-centric styles of leadership emerged from the crisis, like “charismatic,” “ideological,” and “pragmatic,” based on newly prioritized values and approaches.

Values-based leadership became crucial in restoring hope, confidence, and integrity in organizations. Leaders needed to cultivate strong values and ethics to lead their teams effectively. Core values like altruism, authenticity, and integrity were found to improve organizational performance and enrich the lives of employees. However, the pandemic also brought unprecedented uncertainty and anxiety, forcing leaders to navigate uncharted waters and find new ways to make sense of the world.

The pandemic caused those in people leadership to question their purpose, roles, and priorities. They reflected on deep existential questions about their identity and why they became leaders in the first place. This led to a shift in values and interests, with a focus on what people expect from their employers, like flexibility and equity. Leaders also questioned whether they were investing their energy and talents in the right goals.

In the midst of this chaos, they didn’t have much time to think and make changes. They had to make adjustments on the go, like “changing the tires while driving” as one study respondent said. They had to keep businesses running while implementing new processes and protocols, and then quickly revisiting and adjusting them again.

As anyone who’s attempted it knows, changing our behavior doesn’t usually happen overnight. It’s hard to change our values, mindsets, and behaviors even in normal times. Our habits and skills are deeply ingrained from years of repetition and the success – and comfort- we found in them. Real change takes time and practice, and we may face setbacks along the way. According to the study, leaders who had coaching support during the pandemic benefited from the immediate guidance to learn and expand their skills. Coaching helped them develop faster and better.

Non-directive leadership coaching is different from training or other forms of education. It happens in real-time, is private and personalized, and can speed up learning and adopting new skills and ways of thinking. Coaches act as catalysts for personal change and growth, guiding leaders to achieve their full potential, rather than telling them what to do or how to do it.

The leadership framework presented in the IOC study suggests that being a compassionate, authentic, and values-based leader can help individuals and organizations better navigate complex changes. Coaching supports leaders through these changes by stimulating agile thinking, challenging old patterns, and empowering and developing people, leading to personal and organizational transformation.

Source: https://instituteofcoaching.org/ioc-report-leading-with-humanity-the-future-of-leadership-coaching