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Stepping up to the challenge ofÌýleadership requires a shift in mindset and aÌý³¦´Ç²Ô³Ù¾±²Ô³Ü´Ç³Ü²õÌýbroadening ofÌýspecificÌýcritical skills – at the best of times.ÌýUnfortunately, as we start to emerge slowly into something approximating a post-CovidÌý±ð³¦´Ç²Ô´Ç³¾²â,Ìýleadership just gotÌýall the moreÌý³¦´Ç³¾±è±ô±ð³æ.ÌýÌý

Being effectiveÌýas a leaderÌýin theÌýnew normalÌýis contingent more than ever on getting your workplace relationships right. It’s about understandingÌýtheirÌýrole in influencing, empowering, aligning andÌýmobilisingÌýyour single most important resource: your people.ÌýThe pandemic revealedÌýeven more ofÌýtheÌýnature of theÌýindomitable human spirit.ÌýResilience, adaptability,Ìýperseverance, the sheer capacity for creativity and self-reinvention are the finest qualities that human beings possess.ÌýÌý

But in its wake, leaders also need to beÌýawareÌýand sensitive to its fallout – the seismic shifts in the way we work, the blurring of boundaries between home and professional life and the ongoing uncertainty that teams and colleagues continue to grapple with every day.ÌýEmbracing new ways of working, building or rebuilding the futureÌýand navigating the challenges aheadÌýalso mean embracing new –ÌýperhapsÌýmore human – ways of leading. These includeÌýprioritisingÌýrelationships, fomentingÌýtrust and psychological safety, and empoweringÌýother people to deliver their best.ÌýÌý

Leaders can use several core principlesÌýto ensureÌýtheirÌýpeople are engaged, self-motivated and disposed to give their discretionary effort to deliver exceptional results at this time when they are needed more than ever.ÌýÌý

Here are three.Ìý

1. BalanceÌýrelationships with tasks.ÌýÌý

Covid-19 has delivered many lessons.ÌýÌý

For leaders, perhaps one of the most important is the need toÌýprioritiseÌýtheir relationships with the people in their teams. During the pandemic, those leaders whose teams performedÌýwell and showed the most resilience were the leaders who focused on maintaining and nurturing their relationships first before moving on to the many pressing tasks facing the team.ÌýÌý

They found that genuine human interaction – however seemingly small or insignificant – had aÌýcatalysingÌýeffect, boosting people’s wellbeing and sense of engagement when times were tough and profoundly uncertain. And this is an insight that can and should endure beyond the pandemic. Simply put, when we put relationships first, performance and execution improve.ÌýÌý

Try this for yourself. In your next team meeting or one-to-one, ask your people how they are.ÌýPlease find out more about their challenges and how well they are coping. There’s no need to have advice or all the answers to hand – the simple act of listening will give you deeper insight and understanding of your team members while simultaneously ensuring that they feel heard, valued, and respected.ÌýÌý

And that’s good for morale, for team engagement, and for your business.ÌýÌý

2. Build psychological contracts, trust and safetyÌý

Good relationships are undergirded byÌýtrust. Where there is trust, there is also space for communication, for information sharing, for learning and growing, and for the kind of innovation and creativity to occur that are the fabric of any successful team andÌýorganisation.ÌýÌý

TrustÌýresults fromÌýpurposefulÌýcontractual psychological interchanges and your capacity as a leader to create a sense of safety. That means modelling transparency, authenticity, opennessÌýand even your own vulnerability, where appropriate.Ìý

Make it a clear objective to think about your team’s workingÌýagreement. Think about how you set expectations and understand how you all get the best from each other.ÌýAnd try to ensure that your team members feel empowered to fail – to ideate, experiment, make mistakes and learn from them.ÌýThen, as a leader, it’s down to you to find the ways to make your people feel safe enough to give their best and discretionary effort.Ìý Ìý

Why not find the right way to ask your team members the followingÌýkinds ofÌýquestions:Ìý

• How can we be even more effective while working remotely?Ìý
• How do I get the best from you?Ìý
• How should I communicate effectively with you?Ìý
• What support do you need from me?Ìý

3. MakeÌýthe expansion fromÌýmanagingÌýtoÌýleadingÌý

Ask most people, and they will tell you the same thing: most of us prefer to feel inspired, stretched, trusted and appreciated than managed, controlled, or simply told what to do when it comes down to it. Giving other people enough autonomy is the key to empowering them to learn, grow, and develop new skills and aptitudes – to have agency, make their own decisions, andÌýcontribute more to the team’s success.ÌýÌý

This is one of theÌýessentialÌýprecepts of effectiveÌýleadership,Ìýand it marks the distinction between a manager and a leader of people.ÌýIt is a shift in mindset – the transition from thinking about yourself as the principal player who makes everything happen to a leader who can multiply your impact through others.ÌýÌý

Leadership is about giving other people the context, the culture and the environment to shine and bring their best selves to their work. And that means being courageous about building the bench strength around you for the whole team – and theÌýbroaderÌýorganisationÌýto succeed.Ìý

This might feel scary. You might wonder what might happen to your role asÌýaÌýleader if you focus on empowering others – what if they leapfrog you within theÌýorganisation?ÌýBut in reality, whatÌýhappens is quite different. As the tide rises, all ships rise with it.ÌýÌý