Looking Inwards: Leadership in 2021 and beyond

Global economic and social disruptions such as the COVID-19 outbreak result in enduring shifts in people's behaviours and organisations’ cultures. In any industry, identifying permanent positive shifts will enable businesses to nurture and build on them for faster recovery. Leaders who are focussed on identifying these shifts, combating the negative patterns, and reinforcing positive ones will be able to effectively navigate the residual after-effects of the crisis.

With limited time to address personal and team well-being and while operating across multiple emerging priorities, leaders must inspire to drive recovery. This requires specific high-leverage skills that may not be new, but certainly require a revisit in the current scenario.

Leading with empathy 

Reviving enthusiasm and motivating exhausted, isolated employees requires emotional intelligence and sensitivity. Leaders must remain vigilant of the mental health issues that may have arisen among their employees, especially those working remotely. Showing empathy sometimes may be as easy as listening to employees patiently and with interest, acknowledging their efforts and offering encouragement. Other times, it will involve keeping an ear to the ground and managing ‘COVID-19 performance gaps’ when they occur with the right trainings and re-skilling.

Communicating with clarity

In the aftermath of a disruptions, the preconditions for business excellence and the rule book of success change. Managing change in operations, designing new experiences for guests, keeping partners and investors updated all of this requires effective, clear communication aimed at achieving different objectives and for different audience groups. In the whirlwind of misinformation and fluid situations, the antidote to confusion, cynicism and anxiety is clear, consistent, fact-based and timely communication. Absence of information, delayed correspondence or unfounded optimism has no place in a business recovery strategy. Leaders who possess a degree of self-awareness, humility and willingness to take feedback, are able to efficiently lead this strategic priority. 

Innovation and creativity 

Leaders must also have the ability to look at the bigger picture to plan for a reimagined future. This imagination requires a creative mindset focused on exploring new, better solutions to emerging challenges and innovative use of existing resources. They must challenge traditional approaches with courage and cut through any resistance to drive disruptive innovation. Success will be defined by how effectively we can seize the opportunities that disruption brings: to create more resilient operations, forge deeper and digital guest relationships, and prioritize sustainability measures in accordance with the wider societal and environmental context. 

Cultivating resilience

Resilience is not just the ability to endure pain, but also the ability to transform, change, innovate, reposition and reimagine in response to changing circumstances. Teams look up to leaders who can react quickly and demonstrate flexibility and agility in execution, while being prepared to change the course. Leaders who will drive businesses to new frontiers of success will do so with a winning attitude, foresight to deal with the unknown — often with restricted budgets and less than full information — and, most importantly, with the intent of cultivating a degree of resilience across all levels of the business. They will encourage and train their employees to reprioritize under pressure without losing sight of the bigger goals. 

The industry has spent a big part of the year 2020 in dealing with the pandemic’s impact on the business. With that in the rear view, 2021 is the year of rebuilding strength and being prepared for future disruptions. If there was ever a time for business leaders in hospitality to indulge in honest self-reflection, this is it.