5 Mistakes to Avoid When Business Isn’t as Usual

In my last article, I offered up ideas for leading with authenticity. I know time is precious, so here is the executive summary: Now is the time for more honest, caring and thoughtful communications because we’re all facing a global pandemic—and you have no idea what other challenges employees are facing while balancing work from home.

Here’s a link to the post, titled The Keys to Unlocking Authentic Leadership, if you want to give it a quick read. But I don’t want to just tell you how to be authentic. I also want to encourage you to evaluate how you’ll lead moving forward.

Take a step back and look at leadership from a completely different point of view. Afterall, it’s not “business as usual.” You must put your employees first and identify new ways of meeting your company’s 2021 business objectives. We’ve all learned agility and adaptability are important, but I also want to offer up five common mistakes to avoid while leading through times of change.

• Don’t keep up with the Joneses. It’s good to know what’s going on with business peers and competitors, but this isn’t the time to follow their lead. Let’s face it, this is new for all of us. And just because your top competitor does something, doesn’t mean it’s right for your company.
• Don’t miss the opportunity to communicate. Communication is critical to your success. If you don’t communicate, your employees will fill in the gaps and make (not-so-favorable) assumptions. It’s true, we’re all experiencing information overload, but you must get your message out. Find new and creative ways to engage with employees, so everyone knows what’s happening from changes in strategy to company successes.
• Don’t be too formal. Now that most of us are working from home, give employees permission to dress more casually even when they join a business meeting over video. I realize this is a little controversial—and you may even disagree. Opting for a more casual setting not only helps your leadership appear more relatable, but it may even reinforce or reinvent your corporate culture.  
• Don’t neglect the data. Opportunity is right in front of you. With business in a constant state of change, gathering data to inform your decisions is more important than ever. For example, formally—or informally—poll your employees. Find out what’s working and what’s not. Look at productivity, HR and communications metrics to make some assumptions, then determine meaningful KPIs for 2021.  
• Don’t be set in your ways. The world might feel like it’s upside down, making you assume innovation has stalled. But I guarantee it has not. If anything, we’ve learned people are resilient—and as a result, so is your business. The rate of (unintentional) transformation has been extraordinary. If you encourage transformation and innovation without the rules of the past, your company will emerge faster, stronger and bolder.

If you let go of some of the old ways of thinking, you might be surprised at how your employees respond. This year was tough, but if all you’ve done is draft up some new objectives and strategic priorities, you may have an even more challenging 2021. Regardless of the approach you take, I encourage you to find a way to be even better than you were before.

If you want a few more ideas, read my recent Forbes Technology Council article entitled Five Business Mistakes to Avoid During a Crisis.