Covid has changed our workplaces overnight and with sudden impacts. We went from working at our office desks to working on the reading table at our homes. It was one of the hardest challenges a leader had to face. Because motivating your team members in an office setting with everyone’s full concentration and presence is one thing. But doing it in a virtual space while going through a global disaster, is a completely new and unprecedented phenomenon.

Covid has changed both our work style and necessary approach to it. The hybrid work style that was introduced during the lockdown still persists. Microsoft’s 2022 Work Trend Index Report published that hybrid work is up seven points to 38% this year. And people working to transit to hybrid work has increased to 53%. Moreover, people started viewing their jobs from the context of satisfaction instead of security. As a result, more and more people want to leave their jobs. According to the previously mentioned report, 52% of those surveyed are looking to change their jobs in the next three years. Therefore, the primitive trick of using fear of losing a job as the ultimate motivation no longer works. A need for a revolutionized and more relevant method of leadership for the post-pandemic world has been a necessity for quite some time. Let’s have a look at the four key features a post-pandemic leader must have-

Collaborative Team Leadership

Leadership no longer has any relevance with having a rigid and strict persona. Especially, in this time and age, when people are more vocal about toxic office culture. The corner office does not highlight your position. Rather, it only separates you from your other team members; members with whom you must have a good bond and understanding to reach optimal productivity.

In a post-pandemic world, leadership needs to be collaborative. What does it actually mean? It means that the management practice must be structured in such a manner that executives, managers, and staff will be brought out of their silos to work together. It defies the traditional Wall Street style, top-down organizational models. According to Harvard Business Review, collaborative leaders regularly seek out diverse opinions and ideas among teammates to build strategies and solve problems. This helps employees to be more engaged, feel trusted and take more ownership of their work.

Empathy   

Covid has given us many losses. Some are dealing with the loss of their dear ones. Some are facing difficulties to cope with the cognitive losses caused by brain fog. As a result, we all are facing substantial symptoms of forgetfulness and lack of focus. However, it is not us who are to blame. It is the ‘pandemic brain.’

Jeni Stolow, a social and behavioral scientist and assistant professor at the College of Public Health denotes the ‘pandemic brain’ as “our brain adapting to the new situation, as best as it can.” Stolow further said, “I think people might be feeling a little silly right now. They are thinking, ‘I forgot how to pump gas?’”

Even though we have more or less gotten back to our old routine, it is not that simple to adjust. In these circumstances, the last thing anyone needs is an apathetic boss.

A recent LinkedIn survey of 23,000 people shows that the majority of employees are seeking out bosses who are empathetic. Therefore, it is high time leaders paid attention to the importance of EQ, especially empathy in creating a better workplace.

Tech-Savvy Humanist

The pandemic has made us painfully aware of the importance of adapting new technologies as fast as possible. Tele-meeting as a concept has existed since the late 2000s. But it has been adopted and made more accessible all over the world in recent times, thanks to platforms like Zoom and Google Meet. There are also other apps more effective and designed for some specific needs such as Slack, Webex, Discord, etc.  

However, as a leader, if you are not good at technologies and want to stick to the ones you are more comfortable with even though the task in hand clearly demands a specific application then it may disrupt the natural flow of work. You must be on the lookout for new technologies to reduce that ineffectiveness and digital gaps. Good technological knowledge can be a great asset.

But keep in mind, technologies are tools, not your team members. You cannot replace a member with a digital tool. Moreover, when selecting a new tool, you must keep the adaptability of your member in mind. You cannot throw them into an abyss by letting them operate a tool they have never even heard of. They must be given adequate time and training to learn the intricacies.

A workplace can only operate effectively when its technological tools, as well as employees, are working in synergy.

Good Communication is Constant    

Maybe, good communication is the only thing that was important back in the pre-pandemic days and still is. Apart from maintaining professional communication, it is important for a leader to have personal communication with their team members.

Professional communications are mostly one-sided. Personal communication is the one that helps to build employer-employee transparency, get feedback, diverse ideas, and constructive criticisms that holistically help to create better strategies and work culture.   

During the post-pandemic time when communication has taken a great hit and people have become socially awkward, it is important to initiate more conversations and include everyone. And it is no one else but a leader’s responsibility to take the first step.

The Covid pandemic brought about great changes in our lives. For the most part, some of these changes were detrimental to ourselves and our work style. A person in charge of a workplace, has to lead his team to be the best of themselves despite whatever detriments has been done. As John Quincy Adams once said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” Being able to inspire others to strive towards a better future is the ultimate leadership skill in the contemporary world.