What is good & bad leadership during Covid19?
Leaders are used to the famous picture that compares Boss & Leader where Bosses say "GO" & Leaders say "LET'S GO".
Being inspired by the given one, this Comic tells a slightly different story: Good Leaders still say "Let's go" yet Bad Leaders say "No Go".
The above part of the Comic describes how Good Leader pulls the whole team during the pandemic, taking full responsibilities for almost "impossible" missions, for example, either keeping the whole operation open or maintain & even make up margins.
Those Good Leaders are not hard to find. They are CEO who turned closing restaurants into "online food markets" with chefs becoming foot processors & waiters becoming shippers. They are CTO who developed more & better online learning, teaching, management softwares to be on top of "work from home" waves. They are also CPO (Chief People Officer) who successfully aligned minds to create new market segments in almost closing hotels, transforming service models from ones for short-stay travellers to long-stay Covid19-escapers.
"LET'S GO" Good Leaders are fast thinkers, aggressive decision makers, responsibility takers & consistent mind-aligners
The below part of the comic describes Bad Leader grovelling in his cart being pulled by his own employees with a clear "No Go" message. The fear of the unprecedented pandemic & its unknown end day emerged into a much bigger fear. Bad Leader are scared of every thing, from new ideas to taking responsibilities of the sinking ship. Maybe what makes him comfortable the most is closing the operation, yet definitely not for cutting losses now & gaining chances later. Simply Bad Leader does not want to & know how to make any decision. In normal circumstances, they wait for final decisions from higher-position leaders, letting below managers or employees struggle between the known or unknown of organisational status.
Those Bad Leaders are not hard to find either during Covid19. They must be the worst version of themselves during Business At Usual (BAU). They can't barely make a good report, proposal with concrete details & logics for decision-makers' final acts. They are also perfect examples for Bad Employees to copy in terms of extending "wait time" for some extra pay before closing. Their favourite motto is "I don't care". Covid19 & the consequences are on employers' shoulders, not theirs.
Covid19 Bad Leaders tell others "NO GO"
Bad Leaders & Employees also reveal other ugly true colors during Covid19 which is blocking ways forward made by Good Leaders & Employees, who are active doers & fearless thinkers doing their best to make the organisation survive or even thrive the pandamic. Bad Leaders always shake their heads against any new ideas, concrete proposals. Moreover, they also ask of bigger benefits for smaller contributes. In a company that revenues dropped to 8%, a Bad Leader insisted her full pay while she sits doing nothing for a month without any customer while the rest voluntarily agreed to take only 50% pay to share hardship with employers.
Bad Leaders block new ways, new ideas & new proposals. They say "Impossible" "We will fail for sure"
Good or Bad Leaders, especially in the new era of Covid19, have bigger & faster influences over the rest of the organisation, compared to BAU. Each of their decisions has immediate impacts on every one's behaviours. However Good Leaders definitely have strong minds & wills to go through fear, doubts, criticism & even back-stapping from Bad Leaders/Employees. They are confident that there are many Good employees standing on their sides until the new survival ideas come successful, everyone would know who is Bad & how is Good.
Good Leaders are facing Covid19 with strong will, strong minds & the ability to build alignment & trust - All combined that helps them drive the organisation go through the pandemic successfully
Good Leader & Bad Leaders. Just the two simple concepts that have been stirring a great number of organisations up, down & centre in BAU & in any crisis. Thanks to Covid19 as an thorough test for many organisations, the two concepts will be also revisited & rewritten quickly for better & faster decisions that decide whether an organisation is ahead or behind Covid19?
