In a period of great uncertainty, which the health emergency has further amplified, such as the one we have been living in in recent months, it is necessary to deal with great changes, and Dirk Beveridge – business consultant and founder of UnleashWD – spoke about the new leadership models in the era of ‘disruption’, during the Pulire 2020 Forum, an international biennial dedicated to hygiene, promoted by Issa Pulire Network (international platform in the field of cleaning and facility management).
The success of a leader depends on the ability to align a high potential team around winning ideas – explained Beveridge -. Now more than ever, in the midst of uncertainty and volatility, leadership across distribution requires building inspired teams, fostering change and growing a high-performance culture. ” “The acronym ‘CRISIS’ sums up the prerogatives of a leader in times of crisis: Calm, Resolute, Inspiration, Service, Introspection, Strategy – underlines Beveridge -. From Abraham Lincoln to Winston Churchill, to the firefighters who handled the fires in Australia last summer, we have plenty of examples of this.
Where can stability be found in uncertain times like today? The answer is in the goals and values. I indicate three major pillars that a leader must lean on to look forward: company values, people (i.e. the human material of the company) and the look towards a future vision, when we are out of the tunnel. It is therefore essential, even in the company, to be as connected as possible and to embrace strategic values:
“In times like these, when employees are concerned about the health of their families, the safety of their jobs and are generally uncomfortable thinking about the future, leaders have a fundamental responsibility: to inspire and help each individual realize your potential – added the founder of UnleashWD -. A leader today has a great responsibility, it is time to manage the company first of all with a great sense of ‘humanity’. We have to accept that everything will change, and this is not easy. Nothing will be the same as before COVID. I agree with Henry Kissinger who recently told the Wall Street Journal: ‘Today more than ever, the historic challenge for leaders is to manage the crisis while building for the future.’ In other words, it is a question of forging the future starting from changes, to arrive at a new ‘normal'”.
Finally, Beveridge observes that Covid-19, in the business world, must be seen as a great market accelerator. See the case of e-commerce, which in three months achieved results well above the average of the previous ten years. Ergo: Business models are changing at the speed of light. It is therefore a question of seizing new opportunities that can lead to new profitability. It must be avoided that the brand, however important, prevents a change.
“The past must be respected but it must not be a brake. The path to success must recognize the moment of rupture, the leader must recognize the trends in order to innovate. Innovation is a new value for which consumers are willing to reward us and to achieve it it is necessary to have a ‘fury’ against the status quo that drives innovative leaders”.
