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During times of uncertainty, effective leadership skills are critical. Even the most natural leaders can struggle during a crisis and lose their sense of leadership. So, how do people manage during a crisis? Jeremy Diamond, Senior Partner of Canadian personal injury law firm, Diamond & Diamond, has learned a thing or two about how to lead his team of 40+ lawyers and hundreds of support staff through times of uncertainty. Diamond recently shared some tips he’s learned along the way that are sure to improve how you’re managing your team during times of crisis.
Be Flexible in the Face of Uncertainty
While it would be ideal if everything could go to plan, it’s unlikely that it will. Be prepared to have to make quick decisions on the fly for the benefit of your team and your business.
Remain Calm, Confident, and Optimistic
To reduce panic amongst your team members, act as a role model and show them that you are confident you will weather the storm together.
Support Your Staff
Empathy is an important quality for any leader. Let your employees know that you can relate to similar struggles, and understand their needs.
Maintain Regular Communication With Your Team
Let your colleagues know you’re still a team and that they can reach out to you when necessary. Keeping them up-to-date on how the crisis is affecting your company can improve trust and help allay their fears related to job loss or other work-related concerns.
Offer Communication
It’s a good idea to offer all employees with messaging and talking points to ensure a cohesive message about your organization’s response to this crisis. This way, employees know what to say to their friends, family, and peers in order to keep them up to date.
Personalize Messages to The Public
It’s not just your team that needs to be kept up to speed, you should also personalize messages to the public. Speaking directly to your customers, clients, stakeholders, partners and vendors can help assure them that your business will emerge from the other side of this crisis as strong as ever.
Share Your Business’s Values
Be open and honest about your and your organization’s values. Let everyone know what’s important to you and your company and what matters the most. Reassuring everybody that you’re not prepared to recommence business until it’s completely safe for you to do so can really boost your public image.
Demonstrating your leadership qualities during a crisis can really help to improve morale amongst your team. Letting them know that you’re here for them when they need you and that your team is still a team, is vital. Follow these pointers from Jeremy Diamond, and you’ll emerge from the other side of this crisis as strong as you were before.
About Jeremy Diamond
Jeremy Diamond is a lawyer and member of both Ontario and Florida Bars. Jeremy practices in the area of Plaintiff personal injury litigation. Click here to learn more about Jeremy Diamond.