Leadership & Management in a Volatile, Covid-19 World

Workers exist in a volatile world. Management is also perplexed. The coronavirus has damaged the economy across the globe – the United States is no exception. Since more than 22 million U.S. workers are filing for unemployment, government officials and business executives attempt to balance public health against economic survival. More layoffs are surely going to occur as the pandemic keep people at home.

Yet, the economic pains can be felt across the country. Food lines are growing. A sagging economy persists. In fact, the U.S. has not seen these job losses during the Great Depression. The world is interconnected, thanks to globalization. The U.S. middle class hold their breath as the threat of more job cuts become a reality, thereby further eroding their quality of life. With the coronavirus before us, this article examines leading a volatile world.

The coronavirus has made its presence known, resulting in disruptive change throughout the globe. According to the World Health Organization, the coronavirus has infected more than 2,000,000 people in at least 177 countries.

To date, millions of Americans have been diagnosed with Covid-19, resulting in over 300,000 deaths. Although New York has been the center of the discussion, every state has been impacted. Unintended consequences continue to happen.

While the federal government rolls out a $2 Trillion stimulus package, President Trump and the state governors argue about who’s in control. Big Brother has arrived. The government dictates how private businesses must operate while restricting how citizens gather in the name of public safety. The results of the private infringements have sparked anti-government protests.

There needs to be a different type of leadership in a volatile world. Today’s pandemic, hypercompetitive environment needs high-performance organizations to sustain market success. Yet, many organizations operate from the same business structure from the Industrial Revolution.

In this setting, managers oversee workers to control their performance due to the fact that managers believe workers are inferior and have no passion to work. Most workers are willing to work if they are placed in a position to be successful, and there are shared rewards. Sadly, I have heard too many complaints about bad bosses and uncaring organizations.

There are too many managers and organizations that do not value the importance of their employees. These same managers are great at distributing tasks, but are unsuccessful in motivating their own workers.

According to a RAND Corporation survey, the nation is not producing enough future leaders with substantive depth in international experience and outlook. In fact, the survey outlines the following top attributes for having a successful career in an international organization in the public environments: (a) general cognitive skills (problem-solving, analytical ability, etc.), (b) interpersonal and relational skills, (c) adaptivity, (d) cross-cultural competency, and (e) the ability to work in teams.

However, in many businesses, the chore of developing leadership competencies is left to human resource managers. In fact, working in a global environment requires a different skill mix. J. Stewart Black, Allen Morrison, and Hal Gregersen, authors of Global Explorers, argue that every global leader has a set of global characteristics regardless of his or her country or industry.

The four key areas include inquisitiveness, perspective, character, and savvy. Business savvy becomes the word of the day because one must be able to think globally and adjust activities on the local level, as well as satisfying customers at all levels.

Leaders must be visionary so that they provide the organization a vision of what the organization wants to transform itself into in spite of the current situation. Leaders must push the decision making down to the lowest levels and empower employees to perform. Leaders must have integrity and lead by example. Leaders must have a global perspective in understanding that the world is interconnected.

Furthermore, leaders must be strategic so that they will look beyond today’s struggles to anticipate threats and seize opportunities. Leaders must know how to inspire and motivate workers to perform. Leaders must value diversity and maximize the most out of their talents.

In fact, these competencies promote the necessity for leaders to learn how to work effectively with people who have different languages, customs, and social values. Leaders must make people accountable but share the rewards of the organization’s success. Leaders must learn how to listen and respect their employees so that they can maintain trust throughout the organization.

In summary, the coronavirus is not leaving our planet any time soon. Societies across the globe will need to make adjustments to the new normal. Therefore, organizations cannot continue to stumble through this global environment.

In fact, desperate times should demand immediate actions. With millions of unemployed and outsourcing of high paying jobs abroad, these market trends should get more of anybody’s attention. Organizations that want to sustain success in the future can no longer continue in the same mode of operations.

This article demonstrated the critical need to select the right kind of leadership in a volatile world. Success will largely depend on their ability to manage their resources, seize strategic opportunities, and inspire their workforce toward greater performance. Let us pray that it is not too lat

© 2020 by Daryl D. Green

Bosses Need Gift Of Better Meeting Leadership

Studies show millions of meetings are held each day in the United States and that thousands of dollars are spent per meeting hour where the meetings include multiple executives as attendees. Are all these meetings a business investment or a waste of time? Sadly many of those same studies indicate the managers attending the meetings felt up to half their time investment was wasted. If meetings are important enough to hold, then why don’t the bosses of the organization insist they be better lead?

Can the gift of better meetings be this year’s ultimate management prize? If meeting leaders can learn to accomplish more in the same amount of time or less, then the answer is most definitively yes. If the answer is yes, then how can this gift of better meetings come about?

There are lots of good training courses and books on meeting management. When looking for a good meeting leadership course, besides using the words “meeting management”, search for courses that include some form of lead or facilitate in the course title. Sometimes meeting management course titles seem to be disguised as something else or the meeting training is a component in a larger package offered as a longer workshop. The benefit of taking a course is concentrated effort on learning the tools and techniques along with networking and ideas from other course participants who have the same business world experiences. The main disadvantage is time away from the job to attend the course, which is why many do not take advantage of this formal training option.

Reading and following a book on meeting management is a viable alternative to formal training, if the meeting leader commits to following the guidelines and the book includes examples or usable forms. One option with examples and forms is the new book “R.A!R.A! A Meeting Wizard’s Approach” (ISBN 1-4196-5367-9). This book and others on meeting management may be bought through Amazon or ordered from bookstores. The primary advantage of informal learning from a book is that it is portable and may be read on or off work hours using small segments of scattered time rather than consecutive hours. Books often include the same benefit of tips, tools, and techniques but in a different format than found in a formal course. The disadvantage could be the lack of networking and discussion with other course participants who are learning the meeting leadership material at the same time. However, this disadvantage may be overcome by forming a book study group at the jobsite or having a regular meeting team explore the book’s materials and learn better meeting management together.

Going back to the meeting studies, they also show that the number of meetings is increasing and their duration is too. To save dollars, time, and management worry – offer bosses the gift of better meetings as a direction towards higher profits and increased productivity. Better meetings lead to more productive employees, less time and dollar cost wasted, and less cost means higher profit margins. Make meetings a business investment instead of a waste of time by reading a book or attending a course so more people become better meeting leaders. Give and share the gift of better meetings this year.

Leadership Is Mentoringship

All leaders need mentors of their own! A mentor is someone who is wise and who can be trusted at all times. Mentors are often seen as counselors, teachers, coaches, advisors, positive role models, friends, or advocates. In short, a mentor is a person of influence who is probably older than the mentee and who is considered an expert in a particular area. Mentors take interest in developing another person’s leadership, gifts, talents, and abilities.

Mentors have both interpersonal and professional relationships with their mentees. They assist them with their personal goals, and they tailor their approach according to the personality and the current issue(s) of their mentees. Mentors also guide others according to the culture, ethnicity, gender and experiences of their mentee. There are many benefits of mentorship. Mentees will mostly benefit from being exposed to new knowledge, a new concept of life, and a new way of thinking about their craft.

The mentee will learn, because the mentor uses different teaching methods, many of which may differ from their own. In addition, he or she will learn by seeing things through the eyes of their mentor as the partners share their viewpoints. The mentee will benefit by improving their character, ethnics, morals, performance, retention rates, commitment, knowledge, and more. Other benefits include the following: the development of new skills, boosting one’s self-confidence, increasing cooperation and positive behavioral patterns.

A mentor can also benefit from mentoring others. He or she can gain leadership attributes and a better understanding of leadership as a whole, as it relates to the personal development of the mentee. A mentoring partnership can be an enriching experience. You can develop your leadership and communication skills as well as contribute toward your own career advancement.

Mentoring can also give you a great overall sense of personal satisfaction, knowing that you are helping someone else learn and grow on a professional and personal level.

Mentors can apply their leadership skills in the organization, especially by working with others with diverse backgrounds. They can gain knowledge that will improve their time management, communication, and networking skills by meeting regularly with their mentee.

Most importantly, the mentor will gain self-gratification by enriching their mentee’s lives. In this way, they are giving back to the community as they train others to become future mentors themselves. The process is cyclical in nature, and it serves mentors and mentees alike.

Mentoring sessions can be setup in four different ways:

1. Informal Structured Sessions. This is a series of casual and relaxed meetings over a brief period of time (SHORT TERM – for example, thirty days or less).

2. Informal Structured Sessions. This is a series of meetings that extend over a longer period of time (LONG TERM – for example, two years or perhaps indefinitely).

3. Highly Structured Sessions. This is a series of meeting sessions that are scheduled for a brief period of time (SHORT TERM- for example, thirty days or less).

4. Highly Structured Sessions. This is a series of meeting sessions that that extend over a longer period of time (LONG TERM – for example, two years or perhaps indefinitely).

Again, the way these meetings are setup will differ depending on a person’s personality, culture, ethnicity, gender, history, location, experiences, needs, and issue(s) at hand.

While the meeting sessions are taking place, mentors should keep in mind that there are a number of things they should and should not do while they are with their mentee. Below is a list of what mentors should and should not do in their meeting sessions:

Should Do:

1 Acknowledge the areas in which you can offer: information, skills, experiences, etc.

2 Acknowledge the areas in which you do not have the necessary skills and refer the mentee to other resources.

3 Agree upon a set schedule date and time to interact with the mentee -that is at least once a week or once a month.

4 Ask your mentee to help you make the topic decisions and plan the activities.

5 Assist in making the connection between his/her actions of today and the dreams and goals he/she has for tomorrow.

6 Make sure to be open with your mentee, but avoid being overtly critical right from the start.

7 Be committed to your mentee.

8 Be open-minded to new experiences and different ideas

9 Be patient and build trust.

10 Challenge, motivate, inspire and encourage.

11 Clarify expectations about the extent to which you will offer guidance.

12 Communicate examples of personal experiences and challenges-when appropriate.

13 Communicate openly about helpful information.

14 Contact your mentee, if you have not heard from him/her for a while.

15 Decide how you will interact in the future or at the next meeting.

16 Discuss all money transactions for any meeting sessions, activities, etc.

17 Discuss and define common goals and the meeting purpose.

18 Discuss any questions or concerns.

19 Discuss training and educational opportunities.

20 Discussions between you and your mentee are considered confidential.

21 Encourage self-directed reflection, analysis and problem solving.

22 Establish a safe location to meet your mentee.

23 Establish a phone number to reach your mentee.

24 Establish a time and date to meet with your mentee.

25 Establish an address to reach your mentee.

26 Establish boundaries with your mentee.

27 Explain to your mentee why you find his/her behavior acceptable or unacceptable.

28 Explore positive and negative consequences.

29 Get to know your mentee.

30 Get your mentee to trust you.

31 Give your mentee eye contact-when speaking.

32 Give negative and positive feedback to your mentee.

33 Give all points of view a fair hearing.

34 Have a mentor and mentee evaluation.

35 Have some fun with your mentee.

36 Identify the mentee’s interests and take them seriously.

37 If you have a concern that is beyond your ability, refer the person to someone else.

38 Influence the mentee through constructive feedback.

39 Leave messages on your mentee’s voice mail to cancel meetings.

40 Leave messages on your mentee’s voice mail to confirm meetings.

41 Listen carefully and offer possible solutions.

42 Look for signs of improvements.

43 Make sure the mentee understands they will see you again.

44 Measure the success of the relationship by the extent of the mentee’s disclosure.

45 Offer alternative perspectives.

46 Participate in periodic evaluations.

47 Present information carefully without distortion.

48 Progress toward completion of your mentoring objectives.

49 Protect the health and safety of your mentee.

50 Provide relevant books, web resources, articles, or other resources to the mentee.

51 Provide job shadowing opportunities or an on-site visit.

52 Provide professional networking opportunities.

53 Recommend developmental activities.

54 Remember to encourage your mentee.

55 Request long-term career guidance.

56 Respect the uniqueness and honor the integrity of your mentee.

57 Serve as a resource expert.

58 Set realistic expectations and goals for your mentee.

59 Suggest methods for advancing the mentee’s growth.

60 Think of ways to problem solve together.

61 Try to achieve the goals.

62 Watch your time management.

63 Work together to discuss development expectations, set objectives and complete a formal mentoring agreement.

64 You may include others (i.e. spouse, friends, other mentees/mentors and relatives) only when needed.

65 You may call for help if the mentee becomes out of control.

Should Not Do

1. Do not pass judgment concerning your mentee.

2. Do not spend an exorbitant amount of money for non-related subject materials.

3. Do not bring someone else with you when you are with your mentee.

4. Do not display any forms of misconduct or participate in any illegal actions.

5. No overnight stays or physical contact.

Mentors and mentees should be matched together by their interests, education level or area of study, needs, career aspirations, leadership experience, availability, and location. More leaders should consider participating in a mentoring program to train the next generation. When considering being a mentor, the leader should answer the following questions: If you are a mentor, who are you teaching, developing or training? Are you assisting persons in your family? How are you giving your knowledge back to your community? Who is your personal mentor? How much time do you spend working on your own personal talents and abilities? Every organization should have a mentor or a mentoring program. If you are interested in starting a mentoring program, then please follow the steps below:

1. Get others to volunteer to become mentors.

2. Get a Mentor Program Coordinator.

3. Develop a mentor application form

4. Develop a mentee application form

5. Get others to register for the mentoring program.

6. All forms should be turned in to the Mentor Program Coordinator.

7. Mentors and mentees should be matched together.

8. Mentors and mentees will be notified of their match.

9 Mentee will be contacted details about their assignment mentor.

10. Details of the program along with program guidelines will be provided to the mentor.

11. It is the mentor’s responsibility to contact the mentee to initiate the mentoring process.

12. At the first meeting, the schedule of topics and the activities should be discussed and agreed upon.

Strive to maintain a positive mentorship with your mentee for as long as possible. If all goes well, the relationship can last a lifetime. But if that is not the case, then the leader should notify the mentee of the date and time of their final session well in advance. The mentorship may end due to the completion of the goal, personal development, or educational experiences. On the negative side of things, the mentorship may end because the pairing was simply a bad match.

Everything comes down to leadership, whether you are the leader of a non-profit organization, a small business, a Fortune 500 Company, or a line crew. Remember, a great leader will always work on their morality, character, influence, commitment level, communication, innovation, decision-making, problem solving, and their administrative and mentoring skills. Do not hesitate to evaluate yourself and make the necessary improvements to become a better leader. Remember, the world needs more great leaders to prepare, train, and mentor the leaders of tomorrow.

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