Considerations for leaders in the time of crisis

A reflection as the #CEOforOneMonth at the Adecco Group, Sweden

In the midst of global economic hardship, struggle with health and equal opportunity, I was entrusted with a humbling challenge - being the CEO for One Month at The Adecco Group, Sweden. Being 25 years old, new to the world of work and with a mechanical engineering background, perhaps I came in with a different perspective. An ever-echoing question within me is, how do you adapt your leadership role to the environment? Now, based on working closely with the world’s top leader for one month, it’s finally time to share with you my takeaways for how to lead in a crisis. 

What is a crisis?

Fundamentally, the characteristics of a crisis are the element of surprise, the lack of information, the need for speed and the opportunity to change. The characteristics will act as guides through this article and down below, you see a summarised list of the 15 the tasks I have found valuable.

The element of surprise

First of all, the element of surprise is central. This characteristic is especially interesting because it arises no matter the speed of the cause. You might say that surprises are sudden by nature, but that is not the case. We knew about covid-19 for weeks and months before it hit but its impact surprised all of us. The same goes for mega trends. For example, we know that automation, AI and machine learning will change our world profoundly, but we will nevertheless be surprised about how they will impact us. As a leader in crisis, recognise and accept that ignorance is a human trait to lower the threshold for reacting to the real issues at hand, eliminating the blame game.

The lack of information

When falling, you quickly find out what you can lean against. The same goes in a crisis. Which policies, work processes and methods of communication that actually work clearly stand out from those that do not work. At the time of this realisation, note down the things that do work and do not work. 

Crisis contains a certain amount of chaos and in chaos many feel disoriented, anxious and experience disability to contribute. These feelings are in no way productive or healthy for the individual, nor for the company. Meaning a crisis can trigger a negative feedback loop only stopped by hitting the bottom or by a handfast leadership that acts as a cliff in the storm to lean against. Hence, to mitigate further indirect negative results from the crisis, communicate resilience and keep cool. 

However, being resilient and cool does not address the main cause for the disorientation and anxiety. Crisis brings transformations, which brings uncertainty. An uncertain future can strike fear into any organisation, paralysing it. The announcement of a reorganisation can bring an entire organisation to a halt. To lower the level of uncertainty and mitigate fear, while keeping business going, go out and meet the organisation, be honest in continuous communication and be brave enough to take personal responsibility for delivering inconvenient news. If not for the company, for the respect of the individual employee on a human level. 

In the midst of chaos information is scattered or even non-existing. Some say chaos management is an oxymoron, but I do not concur. Chaos is the lack of reliable data and the disability to draw conclusions from it. Chaos management is therefore data collection, consolidation and sorting. As a leader in crisis, collect data systematically. It might not be useful directly, but if you consider time as a factor of the crisis, and you should, having a structured database will help you climb out of the crisis when it is time.

To manage both the human discomforts and the lack of data at the same time, develop clear paths for feedback, and treat every piece of feedback as a ladder up the hole you’re in. 

The need for speed

Time is always of the essence but in a crisis, time seems to speed up. What I have seen and experienced is that the managers’ schedules fill up with back-to-back meetings leaving little room for value-creating activities regarding core business but also room for reflection, analysis and documentation of where the company is and where it is heading. If you can only work with these activities in the evenings and on the weekends, you will not sustain through the crisis. Sleep and time off are essential for being a sustainable leader. Therefore, block time for own work on value-creating activities. 

By blocking time however, you will not be able to attend all meetings and the art of prioritisation suddenly becomes evident. Furthermore, to be agile as an organisation and to move quickly and swiftly through the crisis, this art is crucial on all levels. The distributed ability to make decisions prompts a need for distributed responsibility, which in turn requires trust in everyone moving in the same direction. To incorporate trust in your employees’ enthusiasm to act towards the same goals, clearly communicate and reestablish the company’s vision, mission and targets. Why should your employees feel encouraged and motivated to come to work?

Sales is at the core of every business but there is a difference between sales and getting customers. Sales create value now, while getting new customers create the possibility for future value. Minding the essence of time, now is to prioritise over future.  Therefore, as a leader in crisis, retain customers and treat them like your company depends on each of them.

The opportunity for change

Consider the difference between an internal crisis (i.e. your company has not developed together with the environment it operates in) and an external crisis (i.e. the environment is changing for everyone, rendering all companies unfit). An external crisis, like the pandemic ridden world we operate in today, levels the playing field and allows companies that were unfit to the pre-crisis environment to adjust its operating and business models to fit into the post-crisis environment. Remember, the game of survival of the fittest will forever continue. This game is infinite. Get fit. Don't waste the crisis.

In getting fit, there is parts of the business that need sacrificing. As a leader, be stoic in the awareness of the fact that things will not be the same after the crisis. With the collected data about what is working and what is not working, reinforce that which should be kept and sacrifice the rest.

It is naïve to believe that this crisis will be the last. As we all live in an ever-changing world, the next crisis is not far away. To be better prepared next time, be sure to continuously extract and analyse the state of health of the company. Implement and enforce a culture that allows and promotes critical feedback and honest communication. I must be ok to say, “please excuse me, but I don’t understand” in any type of meeting regardless of the participants. 

Wrap up and to-dos

Finally, and perhaps most importantly until the age of the artificial general intelligence, we all must leverage our human uniqueness. Our ability to imagine a brighter future and say, “this is the future I want- let’s create it”.

1. Recognise and accept that ignorance is a human trait
2. Note down the things that do work and do not work
3. Communicate resilience and keep cool
4. Go out and meet the organisation
5. Be honest in continuous communication
6. Take personal responsibility for delivering inconvenient news
7. Collect data systematically
8. Develop clear paths for feedback, and treat every piece of feedback as a ladder up the hole you’re in
9. Block time for own work on value-creating activities
10. Clearly communicate and reestablish the company’s vision, mission and targets
11. Retain customers and treat them like your company depends on each of them
12. Be stoic in the awareness of the fact that things will not be the same after the crisis
13. Reinforce that which should be kept and sacrifice the rest
14. Implement and enforce a culture that allows and promotes critical feedback and honest communication
15. Imagine a brighter future